LYNNFIELD — It will be remembered as the year remote learning became a household phrase; the high school made national news, and seniors celebrated their graduation twice.
It certainly wasn’t what they expected and it certainly wasn’t the way they wanted to close out their high school careers. But on June 5, Lynnfield High’s Class of 2020 got their graduation after all, albeit in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There was no band, no applause or congratulatory handshakes. Families were restricted to “observing” the ceremony remotely from their cars and Pioneer Stadium was empty, save for a handful of school administrators, including Principal Bob Cleary and Superintendent Jane Tremblay, stationed six or more feet apart on a specially constructed stage.
Each of the 153 graduates proceeded to the stage, where they collected their diplomas, and, in a time-honored tradition, moved the tassels on their caps as symbolic confirmation of their status as newfound graduates.
Class President Megan Battaglia put the year in perspective during her speech.
“The 12 years that we spent as students in Lynnfield Public Schools cannot be defined by the three months that were not,” she said.
For outgoing Tremblay, the day was especially bittersweet. She retires at the end of June. Her successor is Swampscott resident Kristen S. Vogel, a former Tewksbury principal.
Seniors get a second salute with a July 24, 4 p.m. ceremony that will limit each family to one graduate and three guests. Extra seating will be available for families with more than one graduate.
All town students experienced significant changes when coronavirus closed schools and inaugurated at-home learning through remote online programs.
But seniors missed traditional end-of-school events and town efforts to help make up for the loss began before graduation with every Lynnfield senior matched with a sponsor who did at least one special thing a day for them during Senior Week from June 1-5.
The program has its origin in New Mexico last month when a woman named Mary Storey created a Facebook page to help celebrate seniors through unexpected acts of kindness, such as gift-giving.
Even with schools closed, students and Lynnfield High graduates stepped up to help seniors. Lynnfield High School 2016 graduate Ashley Bass was about to begin working at a local hospice when the coronavirus pandemic struck, upending her plans to gain valuable field experience. Instead, she created a network of Lynnfield alumni to help seniors finalize their college decisions.
“When the hospice opportunity got canceled, I realized that I couldn’t do anything to help on the medical side,” said Bass.
Good news arrived in coronavirus’ midst when World Report in late April unveiled its 2020 List of Best High Schools rankings.
Nationally, Lynnfield High School jumped up 302 spots, going from No. 766 last year to 464 out of 17,792 schools.
But the biggest news was at the state level. Lynnfield leap-frogged over 20 of the most respected schools in the state, landing at No. 11 out of 345 schools.
Lynnfield Community Schools (LCS) got a new director in May when Sarah Perkins, a Peabody resident, was picked for the job after working five years as the district’s K-12 digital learning coach.
She is succeeding Michaelann Herook, who is resigning at the end of June after spending 20 years on the LCS staff, the last eight as director.
“I’ve been working towards a masters in administration and as I was going through my practicum, I started to think more and more about the director position,” said Perkins.
LCS offers before and after school programs, as well as many activities for students throughout the year, including the popular Lynnfield Summer of Fun Activities (SOFA) program.
