Though ‘not the ideal graduation,’ one Centre County school district plans in-person ceremony
Members of the Penns Valley class of 2020 will be honored in person, as the school district announced plans Tuesday for a socially-distant commencement.
The Penns Valley Area School District will host a combined in-person and virtual graduation on June 5 at 9 a.m. in front of the high school to honor graduating seniors and their families.
“We understand that this is not the ideal graduation ceremony, but we are thankful that we will have the opportunity to congratulate the class of 2020 in person,” Dustin Dalton, director of data and instruction, said in a Facebook post announcing the plans.
Students will be given a time to walk across the stage in three-minute intervals and are welcome to invite two vehicles to attend the ceremony. Both cars need to arrive together with the student seated in the passenger seat of the lead vehicle.
Vehicles are to enter the horseshoe that leads to the front of the school. When graduates are waiting to be recognized, they will be instructed to stand on markings placed 15 feet away from each other.
Students’ names will be read as they walk across the stage, and they will be instructed to proceed to the auditorium entrance to receive their diploma before exiting the procession.
Graduates and guests are asked to arrive no more than 15 minutes early to the scheduled time slot. A rain date is scheduled for June 6.
The event will be livestreamed and posted online, following the ceremony, along with speeches from the class president, valedictorians and school officials.
Graduation photos may be taken after June 7 on school property as long as state guidelines permit.
The State College, Bellefonte, Bald Eagle and Philipsburg-Osceola school districts have announced plans to hold virtual graduations while looking to hold in-person ceremonies in the future. SCASD’s virtual commencement will be held June 6; other districts have not yet announced dates.
