|
 This year’s class featured 50 students who were
allowed to individually meet with school officials on Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday evenings this past week and be photographed
and videoed in the school’s cafeteria while receiving their
“diplomas” with limited family members in attendance. The students
were photographed with the diploma holder, which is empty at this
time. Under the circumstances, the real diplomas will arrive at a
later date.
Tracy Dyer of Dyer Creative was in charge of the video and he went
above and beyond to make the experience fun for the students, even
allowing them to come up with their own creative ways to add humor
to the graduation video. Rob Siebert was on hand to photograph the
graduates and as usual he captured the memories flawlessly.
A board member was present for official purposes, and in order to
meet the social distancing guidelines, the board member stayed more
than six feet away. Masks and hand sanitizer were also readily
available for any guests who may have forgotten theirs.
The video graduation ceremony will air on Facebook Live on Sunday,
May 17, 2020 at 1 p.m. It will also be posted to YouTube for any and
all to view.
At 5 p.m. on Sunday, the Class of 2020 will get a parade through
town. The parade will essentially begin at MPHS and end there as
well. It will basically be “a tour of where they’ve been,” said
Heather Fricke, District Technology Coordinator. The parade route
will take the graduates around Mount Pulaski, passing by Mount
Pulaski Grade School, Zion Lutheran School and the town square.
[to top of second column] |
When the parade ends at the high school, the
graduates will be allowed to throw their caps in the air, continuing
to practice social distancing. The graduates will be required to
stay at their vehicles and the teachers will retrieve their caps for
them. A drone will video the graduates tossing their caps in the
air.
According to Fricke, “Each graduate can be in whatever vehicle they
chose to be in for the parade, they just can’t be with each other.”
It is up to the graduate if he or she wishes to ride in their
family’s vehicle, a convertible or the back of a pickup truck.
“It’ll be cool,” said Fricke. “It’s going to be the best
non-traditional service ever.”
The community is invited to view the parade thru town, with social
distancing still in effect.
MPHS Graduation Parade details:
The parade will start at 5 p.m. at Mount Pulaski High School, head
east on Wayne Street, north on Washington Street past the square.
East on Jasper Street, south on Vine Street, east on Jefferson
Street, north on Garden Street past Mount Pulaski Grade School. East
on Dekalb Street, south on Scott Street, west on Cooke Street past
Zion Lutheran School. South on Vine Street west on Wayne Street and
back to the high school.
LDN will have coverage of the parade in next week’s edition and also
publish the speeches that will be given by Valedictorian Isabella
Wade, Salutatorian Elaine Aylesworth and Class President Claire
Coogan.
[Teena Lowery] |
