PEABODY — After more than a month of planning, the wait is finally over.
Peabody High seniors and their families are taking a break from their summer vacations and going back to school at the end of the month to finally close the door on high school before moving on to the next chapter of their lives — whatever that may be.
The school will be holding a socially-distanced convocation ceremony Friday at 5 p.m. on the football field, followed the next morning with graduation exercises at 9 a.m.
“Graduation symbolizes a lot, not only for families, but the community as a whole,” said School Superintendent Dr. Josh Vadala. “This is a huge milestone in students’ lives and the one thing they all look forward to is graduation. We want to honor that milestone and get them together as a class one last time.
“We all are so thankful to the committee and our health department, especially (Director) Sharon Cameron, who really was able to think creatively to give us this ceremony. Sharon is truly an unsung hero.”
When the June 5 ceremony was called off, the district grappled for several weeks about whether the ceremonies would be virtual or in-person. Parents were polled on their preference. Principal Chris Lord said the decision to have some sort of live format for both ceremonies was made last month.
“We owe it to the kids to give them the best graduation we possibly can,” he said. “We had more than a month to get organized, so we had plenty of time to make sure we could do it right.”
Here’s how it’s going to work. Graduates will be limited to two guests only at the graduation. Pre-registration is mandatory. For convocation, an invitation is required. Both ceremonies will be held on the football field.
Graduates (in the case of convocation, scholarship award winners) and their two guests will enter the field using separate entrances at opposite ends of the field and proceed to their designated on-field seats, while teachers, administrators and other invited guests will enter the bleacher area using a third entrance near the ticket booth. They will be seated at least six feet apart in the grandstands.
Families will be separated five yards apart to maximize social distancing. Each student will proceed across the stage where there will be a touchless distribution of diplomas and awards along with a photo opportunity. Facial coverings for all are mandatory, with the exception of speakers, who will be allowed to remove their masks while delivering their remarks.
The school had at one time considered holding two ceremonies, a virtual or drive-by ceremony on or near the originally scheduled June 5 date, and an in-person ceremony later, if and when social distancing and group size restrictions were relaxed.
“We are really excited to have one ceremony, the one thing I kept hearing over and over was they wanted just one ceremony,” said Vadala. “If this pandemic has taught us one thing, it’s that people have learned what they really appreciate and value, and in the case of graduation, that think is the opportunity to come together and celebrate as a community. It will be different, but it will be something everyone will remember for a very long time.”
For those unable to attend in person, the graduation ceremony can be viewed on the Peabody Access Television (PAT) channel.
