With traditional graduation ceremonies off the table for spring, districts get creative to honor seniors Kentucky School Advocate
May 2020
By Brenna R. Kelly
Staff writer
In the weeks since Gov. Andy Beshear announced that in-person graduation ceremonies could not be held this spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kentucky school districts have been trying to figure out how best to celebrate the class of 2020.
But replacing a rite of passage is hard, a fact Beshear acknowledged as he spoke to the Commonwealth and specifically addressed high school seniors.
“It’s not fair, but a worldwide pandemic has hit us,” he said, “and to those of you who are missing out on these opportunities, we need your help, and we need your sacrifice and ultimately the experience you’re losing is hard, but your willingness to do it is going to help us save lives.”
Faced with a new reality, Kentucky schools and districts have found new, creative ways to honor the state’s more than 46,000 high school seniors. There will be drive-in ceremonies, virtual ceremonies, parades, personalized ceremonies, yard signs, social media posts, drive-through ceremonies and more.
“We're just trying to make the best of a bad situation,” said Patrick Richardson, Pulaski County Schools superintendent while explaining the district’s plans for graduation at a drive-in movie theater to the Commonwealth Journal.
The district’s Southwestern High School and Pulaski County High School will hold ceremonies May 29 and May 30 respectively at the 27 Twin Drive-in Theater in Somerset.
Before the dates, graduates will walk across their school’s stage to receive their diploma with only their immediate families present. The walks will be compiled into a video to be shown on the drive-in movie screen while family members and friends safely watch from their cars.
Holding out hope Other districts are taking a similar approach, while still holding out hope for in-person ceremonies in late summer or fall.
“We want to honor our seniors’ wishes to hold in-person graduation if we can,” said Williamstown Independent Superintendent Misty Middleton. “So we decided to push that as far back in July as we could, so we chose July 31. It’s only going to be if restrictions are lifted and we can gather as we normally would.”
In the meantime, the district has hired a videographer to capture each student walking across the stage in cap and gown. The video will be shown online and on local cable access on May 22, the original graduation date.
“We want them to be sitting there with their families watching,” she said. “It’ll be like they are watching their ceremony and it will look like our traditional, formal ceremony.”
For Middleton, the loss of traditional graduation is especially hard; her daughter Haley is one of the district’s 58 seniors.
“Haley is pretty laid back,” Middleton said. “Honestly, I think it's harder for me, as a mom, feeling like I'm missing out on watching her do this.”
Haley and the rest of the close-knit class are more concerned about missing out on senior traditions such as Class Night, when seniors perform skits, leave their senior wills, sing and create lasting memories.
And the fact they didn’t know their last day of high school was their last day of high school.
“What she has said to me is ‘I didn't realize the last time that I walked out of the school on March 13, that was it. Like, I would have thought about that differently,’” Middleton said.
As her daughter prepares to attend Northern Kentucky University, Middleton said she has tried to turn the situation into a teaching moment.
“Something we really talked about is how this is teaching us to not take anything for granted,” she said. “And to live in the present, enjoy the stage you’re in. So we are trying to look at positive and all of the memories we do have.”
If July 31 is still too soon for a large gathering, Williamstown won’t reschedule the in-person ceremony but instead plan a reunion over the Christmas holiday break, Middleton said.
“We’ll let them come back into the school, walk the halls one last time and just be together, because I think that at this point, what they’re really missing is the closure.”
Williamstown and many other districts across the state delivered yard signs to each senior’s home. Districts and the Kentucky Department of Education have honored seniors with social media posts. In many towns, banners with seniors’ pictures line main street.
But like Williamstown Independent’s seniors, when asked, parents and students overwhelmingly told districts that they are willing to wait for an in-person ceremony.
Waiting for fall While also planning a videotaped virtual ceremony, Bullitt County Schools has planned an in-person ceremony for the fall.
With nearly 1,000 seniors across three high schools, the district usually holds its graduations at Broadbent Arena in Louisville, said Superintendent Jesse Bacon (left). To make sure they could reserve the venue, the district scheduled graduation for Oct. 3.
“We understand and realize the importance of an in-person graduation ceremony for these kids and their families. It is a monumental milestone in their career,” he said. “So we wanted to secure a date that would send the message that, ‘hey, we are going to do all we can to provide this,’ but also be at a point in time where we felt like it was going be most possible for us to do.”
Of course, if restrictions are still in place in October, the district would have to reassess, Bacon said. And if restrictions are loosened, it could be earlier.
“I think folks are just appreciative that we're thinking about it, that we have an intentional plan to try and make it happen,” he said. “Obviously, most people would prefer an earlier date, and we would too, but at the same time, they appreciate the fact that we're doing all we can to try and give them this experience.”
Both Beshear and Kentucky Department of Education officials have urged districts to work with their local health departments when planning and executing any personalized or in-person ceremonies.
For example, cars would have to stay 6 feet apart and only contain immediate family members, and at personalized ceremonies being videotaped, graduates and staff would have to have their temperatures taken, wear masks and maintain a safe distance. Graduates would have to pick up their diploma from a table instead of a board member handing them the certificate.
“What might be appropriate and successful in one community might not be in another,” Interim Commissioner Kevin Brown told superintendents during a webcast on the issue. “We know you all want to be as creative as possible and try to honor the accomplishments of your seniors and also, most importantly, honor their futures and help them understand that they have bright futures ahead of them.”