The latest on Wake graduations: Virtual ceremonies soon, in-person celebrations later
The Wake County school system will hold virtual graduation ceremonies in June, with individual high schools holding on-campus celebrations as well.
Last week, the Wake County school system announced it was canceling traditional in-person graduation ceremonies scheduled for May and June because of the public health restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, school leaders announced that virtual graduations will be held June 8-13, with schools also scheduling special in-person events for seniors that maintain health guidelines.
Wake seniors have been clamoring for in-person graduations, posting petitions and contacting school leaders.
“We have listened carefully to these students and parents and have taken into consideration the many phone calls, emails and social media postings,” Wake posted online. “Principals have been meeting virtually and have spent many hours discussing options.
“The result is a plan for graduation that we hope incorporates the wishes of graduates and their families, while responsibly maintaining health and safety standards.”
Online graduations scheduled for safety reasons
Earlier this month, the state Department of Public Instruction told school districts that graduations must adhere to Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive orders. This includes limiting how many people can be at events and keeping people at least 6 feet apart to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Wake school leaders said it’s unrealistic to think that the planned ceremonies, drawing thousands of people, would be allowed by health officials.
Instead, each high school’s online graduation will include the traditional “Pomp and Circumstance,” speeches from students and the principal, the calling of names, a slide for each and every senior, turning of tassels and a special recessional featuring photos of the Class of 2020.
Wake says these ceremonies will be scheduled as close to the original dates and times that were slated for each respective school. Families will be notified of when the ceremonies will occur.
Festive in-person celebrations planned
Families are also supposed to receive some details Friday from their school about what they’ll be doing for in-person celebrations. Most of the in-person celebrations will be in June. But the smaller schools which had planned May graduations will do their in-person events this month.
Wake says these in-person celebrations will include students in their caps and gowns. They’ll receive diplomas from their principals, with a small group of family members present to take photos. Wake says these celebrations will in many cases include the option of walking across a stage.
The celebrations are supposed to be festive with cheering, decorations and, where possible, music.
“Our primary goal is for our graduates to leave their school one final time knowing that they are valued, seen and truly special to their schools and families,” Wake posted. “We want all Class of 2020 parents to know that we will provide for them a moment where they can celebrate not only the person their child has become but also the person we know they can be!”
But it’s leaving some families still feeling unsatisfied. Lisa Mangini, a Cary High School parent, complained that the school’s plan to do a drive-thru ceremony where seniors exit their vehicle to walk across a stage to get a diploma is not enough.
“Again this is NOT what we at Cary High want— we want him to think outside the box — push the ceremony to mid-July/End of July — have it outdoors — there are so many choices,” Mangini said in an email Friday to The News & Observer.
What Wake will do fits in with how many other school districts both in the Triangle and statewide are handling graduations this year.
Johnston County announces graduation plans
The Johnston County school system also announced its graduation plans on Friday. The district will hold “modified” traditional graduations between July 29 and Aug. 1. Graduations were originally scheduled for May.
The graduations will take place on school campuses with changes — such limiting guests and holding multiple ceremonies — while still allowing seniors to walk across a stage to receive their diplomas. If that has to change due to social distancing and other federal precautions, Johnston says they’ll revert to drive-thru/drive-in graduations on the same dates.
Wake County Superintendent Cathy Moore said they had looked at moving graduations into the summer but some parents and seniors were concerned that graduates wouldn’t be around then to participate.
“Given the uncertainty of what health regulations will look like in the future, we wanted to make sure that we had something to offer our seniors in the original timeline,” Moore said.
Durham Public Schools announced that some high schools will hold drive-in ceremonies at The Streets at Southpoint mall. Other schools will hold virtual ceremonies, with students going on campus at scheduled times to pick up their diploma.
The Orange County school system will hold graduations at the Orange County Speedway, with students exiting their vehicles to walk across a stage to get their diploma. The district says it hopes to have a second more traditional ceremony at a later time “when it is absolutely safe to do so.”
Chatham County and the Chapel HIll-Carrboro school system haven’t announced their revised graduation plans yet. The districts say they’re reviewing survey responses from seniors.
The graduations cap a difficult year for seniors. They’ve lost the chance to attend events like prom and be in school with their classmates since mid-March. They’ll graduate into a world filled with uncertainty due to COVID-19.
“No matter how schools commemorates this significant life event, please remember that the legacy of the Class of 2020 is so much more than crossing a stage or turning a tassel,” Wake County school board chairman Keith Sutton said at a news conference Friday.
“This class will be remembered as a group of strong, intelligent and bold young people who made the very best of one of the most difficult periods in the history of not only Wake County, but indeed, the world.”
This story was originally published May 15, 2020 at 10:17 AM with the headline "The latest on Wake graduations: Virtual ceremonies soon, in-person celebrations later."
