In Larry C. Banks Memorial Gymnasium, the tan tarp was on the ground, like at graduations in years past. Ferns lined the front of the large stage that had stood in the same spot, ushering graduates into their next chapter after high school.
But this year, the gym was almost completely empty. Instead of rows of chairs and bleachers filled with excited families and friends ready to watch commencement, a single row of six chairs was set up to the right of the stage. Every family group and student had to have their temperature checked, and to answer questions about recent illness or virus exposure. If they were fine, they could proceed.
Superintendent Laura Hammack and Principal Matt Stark stood on the stage ready to greet the graduates — just a smile, no hugs or handshakes. There were no speeches, or turning of the tassels for this small ceremony, but Stark hit play on “Pomp and Circumstance” for each student’s stride across the stage.
Despite the differences this year, smiles spread as each senior arrived for their 15-minute appointment to walk across that stage. Teacher Emily Lewellen recorded each student taking their turn. All the clips will be put together in a video, which will hopefully be ready by what was supposed to be the actual day of graduation: June 5.
Unlike in years past, families could hoot and holler for their graduate as much as they wanted because they were the only ones in the room, Stark said. Each graduate then stepped off the stage and over to a photo booth to have their picture taken to commemorate this odd graduation experience.
Graduates were allowed to bring six family members, and six school staffers were present for the day, including Stark and Hammack.
Graduates were encouraged to grab the last remains of high school as they left, all gathered and bagged from their lockers, waiting for them in the gym lobby.
The last time these seniors were in the high school was the Friday before spring break. Then the pandemic hit home, causing school buildings to close and the rest of the school year to be converted to an eLearning experience.
After one group left the gym, sanitation of chairs, stairwells and doorways began before the next group arrived for their appointment. Masks were worn by all school staffers except for when Stark and Hammack were on stage with the graduates, but the two make it a point to keep their distance from the kids.
As the graduates left, they received a blue and gold face mask with their graduation year on it. Some put them on immediately and pose for cameras.
This is what high school graduation looks like for the Class of 2020, while a pandemic carries on.
Getting the experience
Seniors took their scheduled walks across the stage over six days, with the last walk happening at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 9.
“It’s ruined it. I’ve had plans for it and it ruined everything. I can’t do anything now. I’m bummed,” senior William Gaither said about the pandemic.
Mom Emily Gaither felt a little differently. There was a time she thought she would not be able to watch her son walk across the graduation stage to receive his diploma. “I’m very excited. They are trying to do their best to get a graduation going,” she said.
The pandemic’s effect on her son’s senior has been frustrating for him, she added.
“He finally got all the way through school, and the time to celebrate was kind of taken from him, from the whole senior class. It’s been a little bit of a struggle, mentally and emotionally,” Emily said.
“Graduation parties and hanging out with his friends was important.”
Emily said the school is doing the best they can to celebrate these seniors, which is something she appreciates.
Celebrations like this do help ease the sting of a senior year cut short, taking with it senior prom, athletics, concerts, award ceremonies and graduation parties.
“I have a friend who goes to school in Bloomington. They are not doing anything like this. I was even talking with him last night and he thought it was just such a great thing that they were even able to do this here, because we’re a smaller school. We’re still able to get the experience of walking across,” senior Aaron McCann said.
“To me, it really means that I’m open to a bright future, especially with college. I’m moving onto my next stage in life, and it’s very open for me to do with whatever I want.”
His mom, Cheri McCann said she is excited to see the completed video.
“It’s just amazing we can do that. Twenty years ago, they wouldn’t have done anything and shipped his diploma to him at home. I think it’s great,” she said.
“No baseball, no prom. … He’s very humbled and introverted about it, but he’s happy to have had this chance. They worked hard.”
Missing out on his last season of baseball and time with friends is what makes Aaron the most sad when thinking about his last semester of senior year. But, “what Brown County is doing is very, very sweet to all of us,” he said.
“It’s sort of bittersweet leaving Brown County, but it’s also good that they’ve been honoring us like this, especially in these times.”
Crystal Pope and Ty Carroll also watched their son, Zachary Pope, get his diploma last week.
“A whole room full of people would have been a little better, our family here, but that’s alright,” Crystal Pope said.
“It made me cry happy tears. I thought I would totally start bawling, but I held it together,” Carroll added.
Zachary said he did not think he would get this opportunity.
“It’s an accomplishment,” he said.
‘Not letting me down’
When Michelle Johnson gave birth to her son, Jackson in 2001, the Sept. 11 terror attacks had shaken the nation to its core and life changed as we knew it. “Now, he’s going to go out of high school, graduating in a pandemic, which I never would have thought in my life would happen.
“This (opportunity to watch him walk) means a lot,” she said.
“It’s a rip-off for all of them. It’s a lot of milestones that he missed. … Wouldn’t prom have been nice? His senior prom, all of the recognition they get in school, it was just a lot of things missed. As time goes by, it will just become a memory, which is an odd memory compared to others.”
But Michelle said she, too, is happy that the school is doing what they can to celebrate these graduates.
“I know there will be more (celebrations) to come. They won’t be forgotten,” she said.
Plans for a parade and a possible in-person graduation on the high school’s football field later this summer are two of the ways the school is working to honor the seniors. Dates for the parade and in-person graduation have not been finalized yet.
For Jackson Johnson, walking across that stage was a relief, because he had been looking forward to this moment and was afraid he wouldn’t get the chance to walk. “I’ve put 12 years of school in, done all of the work I have, and (it was) just something I’ve looked forward to,” he said.
“It means a lot. … I feel like they are definitely not letting me down. I think they are doing a really good job at what they’re trying to do.”
This kind of recognition shows that the school cares about this year’s class, Jackson added. “If they kind of would have just put it aside it would be like putting the class to the side. It’s showing that they actually care about the class,” he said.
Christina and Jason Miller had two daughters walk across the graduation stage, senior Alyssa Miller and junior Kayley Vanderbok, who finished her requirements early. Each graduate took her turn walking across the stage as the other sat with Mom, Dad and their youngest sister.
“We’re glad they are throwing so much extra into this to make it an experience for them. We’re really hopeful we can do the football field graduation later in the summer, hopefully,” Christina said.
Alyssa graduated mid-term in December, so she was used to being out of school once the pandemic hit, but she said it was good to have the opportunity to return to school and walk for graduation.
“I didn’t think we would actually have a graduation. I figured it would just be like mail-your-diploma type thing. It was good to have at least have the walk and my family at least be there,” she said.
Kayley is graduating a year ahead of schedule. She’ll attend Ivy Tech in the fall to complete an accelerated associate’s degree program, looking to attend Purdue University to study aerospace engineering.
“It’s basically the real thing, just with less people. I think it was nice how they put something together even though we can’t have the real thing. I appreciate it,” Kayley said of the walk.
Jason said he was worried that Kayley would not be able to graduate early as planned once the school year went to eLearning, but it ended up working out.
“It was weird, because you’re in your daily routine, then all of a sudden everything stops,” Christina said about the pandemic.
“Once we got e-learning straightened out everyone blocked out their time to do things, they both work; it did help keeping them on a routine. … It was different having everything suddenly halt and be like, ‘What do we do all day? We’re all home.’”
Jason said he feels bad for all of this year’s graduates for missing out on milestones. “Kayley had her prom dress ready. I’m like, ‘I don’t know what we do.’ We’ll still take pictures in it,” Christina said.
“It’s unique, though, that they will be able to look back on this later and tell their kids about it, how they feel and how they got to experience it. They’re doing good, though. They’re hanging in there.”
Kayley said it’s important for this year’s class to be recognized and celebrated. “You don’t want to be cast to the side just because this happened,” she said.
“I want to have the same experience as everyone else. Just because there’s a pandemic, it shouldn’t different.”
