The Agency of Education has released its final guidelines for how to hold a graduation ceremony during a pandemic.
High school seniors are of how their schools will mark this once-in-a-lifetime achievement during a once-in-a-lifetime public health crisis.
The COVID-19 pandemic first interrupted Owen Hansen鈥檚 senior year about a week before the cross-country ski team鈥檚 end-of-season banquet.
鈥淚t was my senior year, and really looking forward to it, just kind of the final goodbye,鈥� Hansen said during a recent interview at Mount Anthony Union High School. 鈥淲e had states. And everyone was really excited for it. And then we found out that we couldn鈥檛 have it, and we鈥檙e still kind of trying to figure out what to do. So that was kind of 鈥� that was a bummer.鈥�
Hansen is a big-time high school athlete, and along with cross-country skiing, he was supposed to be a captain on the lacrosse team this spring.
But the season was canceled.
And senior night, when Mount Anthony athletes are recognized for their four years of achievement, was also canceled.
And so when he heard that graduation this year would have to be scaled down, due to the coronavirus, it all kind of crashed down on him.
鈥淥nce they really kind of announced that we鈥檙e not doing the normal graduation, it upset me,鈥� he said. 鈥淎gain, being able to share that experience with my friends and my family is pretty important to me. And just, kind of everything hitting me all at once was pretty difficult.鈥�
Mount Anthony administrators are still finalizing the graduation plans, but at this point they鈥檙e hoping to do a drive-through ceremony, with the 200 or so seniors lining up in cars in front of the school.
The students will have to wear masks throughout, and when they drive up to the table, they鈥檒l walk out of the car and receive their diploma, in a plastic bag, with no handshakes or hugs.
Parents will have to take pictures from the car, and there will be no congregating, or laughing, or crying with friends when, and if, their caps are tossed in the air at the end.
It鈥檚 not exactly what Breanna Hudson imagined her high school graduation would look like.
鈥淪ome of us have been together since kindergarten. So we鈥檝e been waiting for this graduation day, you know, our entire lives,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 glad that I get to walk across the stage and get my diploma. I鈥檓 mostly upset that I don鈥檛 get to kind of enjoy the moment with my friends.鈥�
"I'm glad that I get to walk across the stage and get my diploma. I'm mostly upset that I don't get to kind of enjoy the moment with my friends." ?鈥� Breanna Hudson, MAUHS senior
When Gov. Phil Scott first closed Vermont鈥檚 schools in March, the Agency of Education was not asked to come up with a game plan for graduation ceremonies at the time.
Education Secretary Dan French says there was plenty to deal with in addressing the immediate challenges in moving to remote learning.
But as it became apparent that traditional graduations would be off-limits, French was forced to issue the guidelines, knowing that there would be some disappointed students and families this year.
French is a former principal, and superintendent, and he鈥檚 given his share of commencement addresses in his time. He says all of those classic graduate speech themes, about rising above adversity, sacrificing for the public good, and looking backwards, and ahead, they鈥檒l all have very special meaning this year.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 help but think that there are important lessons that this group in particular 鈥� since they鈥檝e been directly impacted by the events 鈥� will take away as important life lessons,鈥� French said. 鈥淎nd I think this generation and specifically this graduating class is in a unique opportunity to really acknowledge that this is a historic moment for our larger society, but also certainly for the families and the lives of the graduates themselves.鈥�
" ... I think this generation and specifically this graduating class is in a unique opportunity to really acknowledge that this is a historic moment for our larger society, but also certainly for the families and the lives of the graduates themselves." ?鈥� Education Secretary Dan French
All across Vermont, high schools are now coming up with plans that work for their students, and their campus, and their communities.
Some ceremonies will be held entirely online. Other schools are using fairgrounds to try to gather as many students in one place as possible, while maintaining social distance.
At the tiny K-12 Danville School in the Northeast Kingdom, where there will be 22 high school grads this year, an almost-traditional ceremony will be held, though every grad will get her or his temperature taken before picking up a diploma.
And in Bennington, banners are going up on Main Street to honor the Class of 2020.
Melissa Currier is a member of a parents鈥� committee that was supposed to be raising money and planning for a post-graduation party in Bennington.
There鈥檚 no party this year, so Currier says the group is organizing a parade for the day after graduation, raising some extra cash to give every grad a $100 check, and putting these banners up.
鈥淭his is just a way for the community to see that we truly are celebrating our students,鈥� Currier said. 鈥淲e care about them, and it does bother us that they don鈥檛 have an opportunity to go through all the normal senior activities like proms and spring sports and award ceremonies and their graduation. And it鈥檚 just a statement to them to tell them that the community does care.鈥�
Mount Anthony Union High School senior Molly Cohen says it鈥檚 been hard to have her last few months of high school just kind of slowly disappear.
She knows her class, and the high school administration, didn鈥檛 want any of this, and everyone is doing their best to adjust.
So she鈥檒l pick up her diploma, while wearing a mask and maintaining social distance, and get ready for whatever lies beyond high school.
鈥淭here鈥檚 definitely like a grieving process, there is. And you know, I鈥檝e definitely had that. And there鈥檚 times where I鈥檓 like, 鈥極h my God. I don鈥檛 get my prom. This sucks,鈥欌€� Cohen said. 鈥淎nd then I kind of have to take a step back, and think about the situation. I think about how lucky I am to be living here, and to be safe and healthy. And it really does kind of put everything into perspective where, yeah, you know, obviously not an ideal situation. But I鈥檒l grieve my losses, and get over it, and know that there are bigger problems going on right now.鈥�
Because even among all that鈥檚 been lost, Cohen said her classmates in the class of 2020, in Bennington and all across the country, have learned some important lessons during all of this.
"I really think that my age group is never going to take anything for granted, ever again, in this kind of going into the world knowing nothing is certain. So you know, when things do go right, or exciting things do happen, there's just going to be this new sense of gratitude." 鈥� Molly Cohen, MAUHS senior
鈥淚 really think that my age group is never going to take anything for granted, ever again, in this kind of going into the world knowing nothing is certain,鈥� Cohen said. 鈥淪o you know, when things do go right, or exciting things do happen, there鈥檚 just going to be this new sense of gratitude. And I think that鈥檚 instilled in all of us, and I think that鈥檚 a really special thing.鈥�
The Mount Anthony Union High School graduation ceremony is scheduled for June 12.
