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Graduation to be held on June 26

Graduation will be held on Friday, June 26
 
June 18, 2020

Dear Senior Class Members and Families:
I write this letter regarding the graduation ceremony for the Weedsport High School Class of 2020. The ceremony will be held on Friday, June 26, 2020, rain or shine. A tent will be provided for all in attendance. The current directives given to school districts by the New York State Department of Health and Governor Cuomo limit the total number of people in attendance at an outdoor graduation ceremony to 150 people or less. Please see the specific guidelines attached to this letter. Given the current limitations, our graduation ceremony will proceed as follows:

  • Graduation will begin at 6:00 p.m. All 59 graduates will report to the cafeteria by 5:30 p.m.
  • All 59 seniors will graduate together on the front lawn of the Jr.-Sr. High School!
  • All graduates will be afforded two spectator tickets given out at the graduation rehearsal which will take place on Friday, June 26th at 10:00 a.m. at the Weedsport Jr.-Sr. High School. This rehearsal is mandatory so please plan ahead to adjust your personal schedules to be in attendance for 1 hour.
  • All graduates should be dressed in formal attire. As previously stated, district purchased caps and gowns should not have any writing or decoration on them.
    Guests of seniors with the last name A-Murray only will park their vehicles in the main parking lot and proceed to seats under the tent and practice appropriate social distancing to watch their seniors receive their diploma following welcoming comments by the Superintendent of Schools and one of the student speeches.
  • Graduates will be announced to the stage to receive their diplomas one graduate at a time. Each student will have their individual picture taken by a school provided photographer. Graduates may temporarily remove their face coverings as they cross the stage and keep it off for their picture. If a parent wants to take a picture of their child receiving the diploma such will be allowed provided parents abide by social distancing rules.
  • Guests of seniors with last names Nemec-Z will be allowed to drive onto campus starting at 6:00 p.m. and they will be asked to park in the lot by the pool entrance. We ask that guests of seniors Nemec-Z remain in their vehicles until notified that they can proceed to the tented area by a school official.
  • At the conclusion of senior Alex Murray receiving his diploma a brief intermission will ensue. The guests of the seniors A-Murray will be asked to quickly exit the graduation area and depart the school premises in their vehicles so the second portion of the ceremony can get underway. Personal photographs of graduates and family members at this time of intermission will not be permitted as it is the intention of the District to comply with the NYSDOH guidelines of completing a timely ceremony while limiting the potential for community spread of the virus.
  • Thereafter, the guests of seniors Nemec-Z will proceed down the front sidewalk of the Jr.-Sr. High School and then be allowed into the tent area to take their seats.The ceremony will re-start with seniors Nemec-Z receiving their diplomas after a student speech.
  • Graduates will be announced to the stage to receive their diplomas one graduate at a time. Each student will have their picture taken by a school provided photographer. Graduates may temporarily remove their face coverings as they cross the stage and keep it off for their picture. If a parent wants to take a picture of their child receiving the diploma such will be allowed provided parents abide by social distancing rules.
  • After all students have received their diplomas, the Class of 2020 will pose for a picture TOGETHER!
  • At the conclusion of the ceremony we ask that all attendees promptly leave the school grounds. Again, personal photographs of graduates and family members at the conclusion of the ceremony will not be permitted as it is the intention of the District to comply with the NYSDOH guidelines of completing a timely ceremony while limiting the potential for community spread of the virus.
  • All families will receive a $10 voucher in each student’s diploma case good for ice cream at DB’s following the ceremony.
  • At approximately 9:15 p.m., there will be a fireworks show to honor the Class of 2020 at the Weedsport Speedway! Only one vehicle per graduate will be allowed to enter the Speedway parking lot. Please understand that this limitation of one vehicle will be strictly enforced. We are guests of the gracious hosts at the Speedway and we would not want to willingly violate the gathering restrictions that the Speedway is expected to comply with.
  • Please note that every person in attendance at graduation must wear a face covering and remain six feet apart from all other non-family attendees.
  • While we are striving to offer our graduating seniors some semblance of a typical graduation ceremony there are going to be some differences that were unavoidable based on the NYS Department of Health expectations that were issued and which we must comply with. Thus, please understand the following:

There will be no hand shakes as a senior receives their diploma.
There will be no cap throwing after the students process out as we ask them to walk directly to their vehicles in the parking lot.

  1. No refreshments or water will be available.
  2. Restroom access will be restricted.
  3. There will be no singing of a class song or alma mater as singing is a potential superspreader activity.
  4. Those in attendance will observe a moment of silence to honor our country rather than collectively sing the National Anthem or recite the Pledge of Allegiance as a group.
  5. A virtual ceremony will occur on Wednesday, June 24 to announce the recipients of the awards and scholarships. Please check the website for the link to watch the event.

On the other hand, we can look forward to:

  1. A bagpipe player will lead the procession of students into and out of the graduation area.
  2. The Valedictorian and Salutatorian/Class President speeches will be delivered to the Class of 2020 in person.
  3. A livestream of the graduation ceremony from start to finish will occur.
  4. CARRYING ON THE TRADITION OF THE FULL CLASS IN ATTENDANCE AT THE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY!

We hope that all will partner with us in making the best of an imperfect situation. We have placed a great deal of thought and consideration into making this as much of a student-first event. We all wish that more family members could be in attendance at the ceremony and accept that it is a disappointment for all involved. However, we feel this is an acceptable version of a graduation ceremony that maintains some of our school’s basic traditions while meeting the guidelines imposed by New York State.

We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2020 on June 26, 2020!
Sincerely,

Brett P. Fingland
Jr.-Sr. High School Principal