It has been a little over a week since the Wayne County Board of Education moved to have schools hold on-field graduation ceremonies with social distancing and other safety protocols put in place. Over the past week, high school principals met with their graduation committees, scaled down events as much as possible to reduce the number of people on the field and on stage, and worked with Central Services staff to determine the actual seating capacities for their stadiums with specific social distancing measures in place. Additionally, logistics specific to tickets, waivers, and streaming have been finalized, which were key for determining dates.

 

“It has been all hands on deck for the schools and the district staff in moving forward with planning and announcing events as quickly as possible,” states Ken Derksen, WCPS communications officer. “The two earliest high schools opted to hold their events this weekend to keep their original ceremony dates scheduled earlier in the school year. Over the next four days, we will be testing streaming equipment with dual support from Wayne Community College and WCPS tech staff, getting all final details vetted by health officials, printing graduation programs, and putting tickets and waivers in the hands of seniors for them and their guests.”

To be inclusive, all high schools are offering alternative graduation activities for students who may be uncomfortable or unable to attend a more traditional on-field graduation ceremony. Streaming information will be announced closer to the events in order for family and community members to watch ceremonies live.