Perry Central tradition may be ending after 40 years

Perry Central High School’s paper mache show, a tradition that has lasted more than four decades, may be in its final year as Perry Central Community Schools changes graduation plans in Leopold. Students will still walk across the stage, but the long-running show is no longer certain to remain part of the ceremony.

The tradition has been tied to Perry Central High School for more than 40 years, making it one of the school’s most recognizable customs in Perry County. If it disappears, the loss will be felt well beyond the gym or auditorium stage at Perry Central Junior-Senior High School, 18677 Old State Road 37. Students would lose a rite of passage, while parents, alumni and staff would lose a shared event that helped define graduation at the school.

Perry Central Community Schools says it is a place that feels like family. The district uses that language to describe its school culture, saying, “People often comment about how it feels like family here.” That sense of community helps explain why changes to a 40-year tradition matter in Leopold, where Perry Junior/Senior High School lists a 95% graduation rate and the district says it has earned Utica National’s School Safety Excellence Award at the Titanium with Honors level.

Who decides whether the paper mache show continues now falls to Perry Central Community Schools as graduation details are adjusted this year. The district has not said what will replace the tradition if it does not return, and the possibility of its ending leaves Perry County with a familiar question: how to update a school ceremony without losing the custom that generations have carried forward.