WESTBROOK – In an effort to preserve the pomp and circumstance of Westbrook High School’s first outdoor graduation in approximately 40 years, the school department will be asking the City Council to close a portion of Stroudwater Street for the ceremony on June 8.

At the council’s June 4 meeting, councilors are expected to vote on a request to close the Stroudwater Street in front of the high school from Oakland Avenue to Forest Street. Superintendent Marc Gousse said he made the request because he wanted to preserve the dignity of the ceremony.

“(I don’t want to be) having cars go by taking away from a dignified event,” he said.

Gousse said he wants to close the street at 5:45 p.m., 15 minutes before the 6 p.m. ceremony, and keep it closed until 7:45 p.m., “to allow for an uninterrupted flow of the ceremony,” he said.

He said that traffic would still be able flow through from Westbrook to Portland, with cars diverted to the Westbrook Arterial. He added that residents in the area affected by the closure would still be able to get to their homes.

“It just kind of ebbs the traffic around the high school complex,” Gousse said. “I don’t think it’s going to impact anyone adversely.”