BHS Makes History by Hosting a Naturalization Ceremony

By Danni Dunlop Branford High School will be hosting a Naturalization Ceremony for immigrants who will be sworn in as official citizens of the United States in the auditorium on Friday, October 23rd. It is said that BHS is the first high school in Connecticut to ever do something like this. BHS principal Lee Panagoulias is a son of an immigrant from Greece and he says that “It’s a very unique opportunity for some of our students to see a process that’s so important to our nation.” The historic ceremony starts at 10 am and is expected that 600 people will be there including the families of the future citizens, invited guests, students, and possibly even a U.S Senator.  This year, according to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, more than 450,500 people became United States Citizens in 2015. All new citizens had to undergo a formal process to earn citizenship. Workers for Homeland Security will be in the building as early as 6 a.m., Panagoulias said. The special schedule for this day goes as followed: Everyone reports to 1st period for only 22 minutes; Next everyone will report to period 2; Then everyone goes to the commons for the annual Parade of Nations which is 40 minutes. The Naturalization proceedings ties in with the Parade of Nations, Panagoulias said. Classes for the rest of the day follow an advisory schedule. Only the sophomore class will be getting the inside scoop of what a Naturalization Ceremony is like since as sophomores, they take U.S History and it ties in with the curriculum, Panagoulias said.