SAUGUS — After a tumultuous spring semester, Saugus High School has finally set a graduation date for July 25.
In keeping with the wishes of more than 80 percent of the seniors, who were polled earlier this month on what kind of celebration they’d prefer, town and school officials say they plan to keep the ceremony as traditional as possible while still observing social distancing safety guidelines.
“(These are) tough times,” said school committee member John Hatch. “We’re all learning how to live differently in spite of the pandemic, which is affecting every aspect of everybody’s life.
“One thing I was pretty strong on was trying to give these kids as much of a traditional graduation as possible. They’ve worked for 12 years and they have had this in their sights since eighth grade. All of us (on the school board) really wanted to make sure it was as traditional as possible.”
This year’s graduation ceremony will still be unlike any other, however, as school officials work out how to make such a large event as safe as possible while considering the current public health crisis.
Originally scheduled for June 5 at Stackpole Field, the new ceremony will see graduates spaced out considerably on all sides, and there will be no band or chorus to accompany the big day, although principal Michael Hashem assured the school committee that there will still be a stage for speeches and for students to walk across to receive their diplomas.
School officials plan to give each student two tickets for guests, who will also be spaced out accordingly in the stands at the edge of the field.
“All of it is subject to change based on any health guidelines,” Hashem warned, adding that the district may look to push the ceremony back further should the state mandate stricter social distancing protocols in the coming weeks. “We’ll see where we are closer to July 25.”
The district is also working on setting up livestream video footage so that friends and relatives can still celebrate their graduates at home. A rain date has been set for July 26.