Helpful Tips for Graduation Day!

Helpful Tips for Graduation Day!
Posted on 06/26/2020
Helpful Tips for Graduation Day!We’ve been combing through every bit of the guidance provided by the Governor’s Office, NYSDOH and the CDC regarding alternative graduation celebration options, including outdoor in-person graduations. We are so pleased to watch our nearly 350 graduates cross the stage this weekend! As you know, Mother Nature recently changed our plans and the Elmira High School Graduation is now scheduled on Sunday June 28, 2020 beginning at 9:00 a.m.

This has been a year like never before, but we have been determined from day one to provide an in-person graduation for the class of 2020. They deserve this moment, as do their supporters.

We held a staff meeting this morning and reviewed the most important considerations for a safe and celebratory event:

• A maximum of 150 individuals can gather at one time, including graduates, staff and guests. We doubled our number of ceremonies from six to 12 so our students could invite up to four guests to attend. Upon arrival, students will receive a registration packet that will include four guest badges to pass out to their guests;

• We’ve staggered arrival times and our staff will be stationed at entrances to register and direct attendees. Students should refer to the schedule sent to them to understand the time their section of the alphabet should arrive. Only those with badges will be able to enter the ceremony;

• The Fairgrounds offer an expansive space to remain six feet apart from all attendees (of course, we expect immediate family to stay close and squeeze their seniors  ). For all others, practice your air-hugs and elbow pumps;

• Open-air tents and the Fairground stage provide the best atmosphere for everyone to safely remain outside and be a part of this special day;

• We’ll mark out the grounds with proper signs and tape to properly space everyone by six feet so everyone walks, stands, and sits within a safe space. The directional markings will be in a single-direction flow to ensure everyone is within a safe distance of each other;

• Our District maintenance and custodial staff will be onsite and disinfecting between ceremonies. The Grandstands, stage and restrooms will be cleaned between each of our 12 ceremonies. Thank you in advance to these frontline staff for keeping us safe;

• Everyone must wear masks. We are especially excited to provide special Express 2020 Graduation masks for our seniors! (Don’t worry, seniors can remove these masks quickly for photos);

• Our seniors have already picked up their caps and gowns so they will arrive dressed! As they cross the stage, they’ll pick-up their diplomas from a table, (rather than our staff handing it to them), so that no person-to-person exchange is made;

• As a way to limit the length of the ceremonies, our Valedictorian, Salutatorian and Class President have pre-recorded their speeches and our senior choir students have pre-recorded the school’s alma-mater. We’ll post those to the website soon!

• This is such a momentous event and while we do have to limit the number of attendees, we do have a virtual solution for those to participate from afar. The graduation will be live streamed on our website all day on Sunday, June 28, 2020 beginning at 9:00 a.m. Access Live Stream here.

It’s a lot, but totally worth it! Onward and upward excelsior, class of 2020!

#GoExpress #ExpressStrong