Be there a pandemic or not, this entire weekend marks a time for commencement celebrations for the graduating class of 2020 at Jennings County High School.
Beginning on Friday, and ending today, each one of the 283 JCHS graduates had the opportunity to walk across the stage and personally receive their diploma from their principal and the superintendent of schools.
“This is an amazing class. The way the school year ended is not what we wanted for our seniors but we are very, very proud of the way they have handled the situation,” JCHS Principal Dustin Roller said.
Because COVID-19 pandemic concerns forced the premature closing of Jennings County schools on March 13, the Class of 2020 missed all the annual traditions of a typical senior class.
“They handled it all with such grace we just couldn’t let them miss their graduation too,” said Roller, explaining how the JCHS staff and the school corporation superintendent’s staff worked out a way to celebrate graduation and still observe COVID-19 safety guidelines.
Like many schools across the state, JCHS decided to hold a virtual ceremony that everyone could observe at home. The ceremony was held yesterday at 10 a.m., the same time on a Saturday that a traditional ceremony would have been held.
The virtual ceremony celebrated the entire class and it also acknowledged each graduate by showing every graduate’s photo and name. The virtual ceremony also included prerecorded music and speeches.
“We agreed the virtual ceremony was a good idea, but we also agreed that was not enough. We have always used that walk across the stage as an important symbol. It’s the way you get to the other side of your future,” Roller said.
Educators and administrators worked an intricate strategy whereby every student would walk across the stage to receive their diploma from Roller or JCSC Superintendent Teresa Brown.
Each graduate and the members of their immediate family entered the JCHS gymnasium at an assigned time. While their family watched, the graduate crossed the stage and received their diploma.
After leaving the stage, each graduate also received a rose, gift, and their transcript and then rejoined their family and were escorted to an area for photographs.
After one family left the gymnasium, the next family entered.
Brown, Roller, class sponsors and staff members were on stage to receive each graduate during the entire 17 hours required to give each graduate the chance to walk across the stage.
