Graduation 2020 Style

 Due to school being closed back around spring break, the normal way of holding prom and graduation had to change.  It required a certain amount of creativity and I believe the district I work for did well.

The administration worked hard to come up with solutions.  I wrote about the virtual prom they held and there is going to be a second one this weekend when the biggest city in the area is having one via their radio station.

As for graduation which was held this past Wednesday evening.  The counselor got together with the seniors and designated speakers to have each and everyone record their portion of the normal graduation and one of the local people spliced it all together to make a video.

The school posted the video on the school facebook page so people could watch it during the 6 pm time slot.  It opened with the principal welcoming everyone to the ceremony, followed by an elder giving the Invocation, etc.  It ran just like the normal graduation ceremony.

The whole ceremony ran for just over an hour and included the section showing pictures of the graduating seniors from babies to now.  I realize that is not something normally done in other states but in the bush of Alaska where graduating classes are small, they usually create a movie over each student's life.  This year, there were a total of 9 students.

Since, the school couldn't host the usual party afterwards, they substituted a parade. Each student decorated a truck or four wheeler (ATV) towing a flat trailer with signs, pictures of themselves, streamers, balloons, etc.

At 8:00, the local radio station began playing "Pomp and Circumstance" so people could turn on the radios in their parked vehicles along the route.  Shortly after, the radio announcer broke in to tell everyone there was a 10 minute delay.  The radio announcer would know because his window looked over at the school and he could see the lineup.


 As he finished the announcement, he said, never mind, they started.  He went back to playing "Pomp and Circumstance".  We watched the parade down the street heading for the transfer station (garbage) so we saw it as it crossed Main.

Since there were only 9 graduates in 8 vehicles, it didn't take them long before they swung past all the parked boats on the Slough, down by the DOT and in a short time, they were passing by my spot.

Everyone cheered as the graduates passed by.  They turned onto Main and went all the way across the town, past the Post Office, to the Covenant Church, and down around to the road going by the beach before arriving at the school and the radio station.

This is the year that everyone will remember.  I've included some pictures of the floats in this so you can see them.  After the parade, many people complimented the counselor on how great this was.  I gather people liked the event so much, they wanted to know if they'd hold another parade next year.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.