Will be paired with virtual ceremony
It appears the Marysville Class of 2020 will be the first to graduate in the new football stadium after all.
On Thursday, the Marysville School District announced it will conduct a drive-up graduation ceremony on May 23, allowing its 380 seniors to walk across the stage in the stadium, completed earlier this year. Previous plans for an online, virtual graduation ceremony, where each senior is honored, are still in place.
Marysville Superintendent Diane Allen said the new plan was the result of conversations with numerous parents and students which carried a near-universal idea that they wanted graduates to have an opportunity to walk across the field at the new stadium in their cap and gown to receive their diploma.
“We were always planning to do more beyond the virtual graduation,” Allen said. “Union County Health Department and ODE (Ohio Department of Education) have now published clear guidelines and now we can have an event that meets the guidelines provided.”
A notice to graduates and families said the new plan follows Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s recommendations for potential ceremonies. While the plan allows for modified in-person ceremonies, it also carries restrictions which must be followed. To adhere to these guidelines, families will receive instructions on the procedures in about a week.
Families will reportedly be given a time to drive into the stadium on May 23. Students will exit the car in their cap and gown and cross the field as their name is announced on the public address system. They will receive their diploma and then pose for a photograph, which the district will provide to the student.
Allen said the exact procedures for the event, including how and where the accompanying family members may view the event, are still being finalized.
Allen said the event will involve no more than 10 people at any one time and all participants must wear masks, practice social distancing and have their temperatures checked.
Restrictions on the event have forced organizers to forgo the tradition of allowing graduates to select which faculty member presents the diploma.
The district said that graduates also expressed a desire to watch their fellow classmates graduate and for their extended families to be able to watch the ceremony. The entire event will be livestreamed to allow this to happen.
The start time and duration of the event are not yet known.
At 7 p.m. May 23, the virtual graduation video will be released online. It will feature prerecorded speakers and videos highlighting the graduates.
The class of 2019 held graduation ceremonies at the Columbus Convention Center as the stadium was under construction, meaning the current seniors will be the first to hold commencement at the new facility.