BERLIN – High schools in Worcester County are making efforts to recognize graduating students as schools remain closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last Friday, State Superintendent of Schools Karen Salmon announced public schools would remain closed through May 15 and that state and local school officials were actively preparing for a number of scenarios depending on when educators and students will be able to re-enter school buildings.
For high school seniors, however, the ongoing school closure highlights the uncertainties surrounding graduation and many end-of-year activities. Just this week, for example, Superintendent Lou Taylor announced plans to form a committee to address commencement ceremonies.
But while many uncertainties loom, it is not stopping some high schools from recognizing the class of 2020.
At Stephen Decatur High School, for example, administrators and teachers are looking for ways to celebrate the school’s 295 seniors. In addition to lighting up the school’s scoreboard with the commencement date, May 27, and the graduation year, 2020, Stephen Decatur has also created an Instagram account – @sdhsseniors2020 – dedicated to the graduates. The school’s Facebook page features photos of seniors with their universities of choice for next fall.
Stephen Decatur Public Relations Liaison Mary Berquist said the idea stemmed from conversations with the senior class officers and National Honor Society officers. Within the first two days of creating the Instagram account, roughly a third of Stephen Decatur’s graduating class had submitted a profile detailing their accomplishments, fondest high school memories and post-secondary plans.
“This is really their time to shine, and they are being denied that opportunity …,” Berquist said. “I think the school really wanted to put a face on what is happening in education.”
Senior Class President Max Ewancio said the social media account is a way to connect with classmates during the pandemic and highlight the seniors’ achievements.
“It’s just a nice way to keep connected when we can’t see each other,” he said. “It also provides a sense of connection and togetherness.”
While he said it was unfortunate that the graduating class would miss out on many rites of passage – including prom – in their final months of high school, Ewancio applauded the teachers and administrators, including Berquist and Taylor, for their efforts to recognize the graduating class.
“We are going through hard times, but we are pushing through it,” he said. “It’s not easy to have all of this happen your senior year.”
Principal Tom Sites said the school would make every effort to celebrate the graduating class, no matter what the coming weeks will bring. Superintendent of Schools Lou Taylor announced Tuesday evening a committee will be formed to study all options and promised a commencement of some sort in the future.
“We want to do everything in our power to recognize our seniors …,” he said. “They put in all this hard work to get to this point, and we will find a way to celebrate them. I don’t know what that will look like, but we are thinking of things to do to support these kids.”
At the south end of the county, administrative staff at Pocomoke High School spent hours last Thursday delivering yard signs to recognize the 2020 graduating class.
Principal Jenifer Rayne said it was important to her leadership team that the school recognizes its seniors.
“It is extremely important to us to be intentional about it,” she said. “Our seniors are missing out on a lot of experiences they were looking forward to.”
Pocomoke High School Counselor Charlene Creese gives Atlanta Schoolfield a “social distancing” high five at her home.
Rayne said it is unclear how many spring events, including graduation and Intent Night – where seniors announce their post-secondary endeavors – will proceed.
“I’ve been very careful with my seniors to not ever use the word ‘canceled,’” she said. “We will be celebrating them, no matter what, this spring and possibly into this summer depending on what happens with COVID-19. What prom and graduation may look like I don’t know right now, but it will look like something. We are going to be creative.”
While she noted that the graduating class is anxious to see what the coming months will bring, Rayne said Pocomoke High will continue to recognize its seniors. In the coming weeks, the school will celebrate seniors with several planned activities.
“While they are wrestling with some of this anxiety and feelings of missing out, we wanted to be very intentional about celebrating them in some kind of visual way,” she said.
On Thursday, Rayne joined with the school’s two vice principals, the curriculum resource teacher and the school counselor to deliver yard signs to 90 graduating students at Pocomoke High.
“The best thing about the Pocomoke community is that it is such a tight-knit community,” Rayne said. “The kids are celebrated over and over again. They worked hard for 12 years, so they certainly deserve this … It was one of the best parts of the month, honestly.”
Rayne said the school will collect pictures of each senior in front of their sign and create a collage for the school’s yearbook. Pocomoke High will also feature each senior and their future plans on social media in the coming weeks.
“Our memories may look different, but we don’t want those memories to be any less,” she said.
