Seniors and families,
During last evening's Board of Education meeting, Dr. Martirano made a number of announcements regarding senior celebrations and graduation. There have been a number of changes to the directives and permissions we have been granted since the last time I wrote to you. Below is a summary of his COVID-19 Work Session Remarks and guidelines for planning:
May 28 will be the final day of school for seniors.
The school system is working very closely with Merriweather Post Pavilion to do everything possible to host this year’s graduation ceremonies at their facility. The system hopes to share specific graduation dates and times for all of our high schools once we hear back from Merriweather Post Pavilion.
The system is taking several measures to ensure social distancing and all other safety protocols during graduation ceremonies:
Each family will receive 2 tickets to attend.
Student performers or other presenters perform in-person individually or in small groups of 2 to 3, but bands and orchestras will perform virtually or by a recording.
The number of speakers and guests on the stage will be kept to a bare minimum.
Additionally, we are working out ways to ensure graduates who choose to participate virtually will be included in the graduation ceremonies through pictures or video as we did last year.
Students will need to order caps and gowns. Information has already been sent to CHS students.
Traditional proms will NOT be able to be held in a manner that is safe and aligned to current health protocols. Instead:
Each high school will host a Senior Night that includes a senior awards ceremony and celebration on the same afternoon or evening. The event will be held outdoors, if at all possible, and will be held on school grounds with limited guests.
On the same date, an event for seniors only will also take place. This event will be held on school grounds and could incorporate elements of other traditional senior year events such as those found at senior class nights.
Health protocols will be in place at these events to help ensure safety, including masking and social distancing. Food will not be served and attendance will be limited to students from the home school. Further, a virtual component will be provided to allow seniors not attending in-person to participate.
Dr. Martirano stated that the school system is aware that some parents are choosing to personally sponsor other events for seniors. He clarified that the school system is not involved with, or endorsing, any activities sponsored by families or community members. These events have the potential to jeopardize the ability of students to participate in school-sponsored senior events and graduation ceremonies.
I realize this is a lot for our students, families, and staff to digest and adjust to. While I am happy we will be able to plan these events, I recognize there will be some disappointment and stress created by the adjustments and restrictions we must respect and honor. I also recognize that we may need to create a process for dealing with unique family and student circumstances, and will share those procedural details with you soon.
At the moment, we have the bones of what promises to be a special event for our seniors. The event will take place on Saturday, May 15, in the stadium. In the event of inclement weather, we will move the festivities indoors as permitted by county and health department protocols. To fully develop the plan for Senior Night, we will work with our Senior Class Board and Senior and Junior Class Sponsors. The first of those planning meetings has already taken place with another scheduled for this afternoon. We are not going to rest until we have a fully developed and ready to share plan in place.
As always, I am available for you should you have questions or concerns. Do not hesitate to reach out to me or any other member of our staff. You may also reach out to our Senior Class Sponsors, Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Tieperman or Senior Class Board President Kiran Vepa.
Faithfully,
Cindy Dillon