Frances Suavillo knows the feelings of disappointment among the Class of 2020 well. She’s been tasked with surveying high school seniors on their alternative graduation preferences as the student representative on the Los Angeles Unified school board.
She’s also the first member of her family to graduate high school in the U.S., one who won’t get the opportunity to celebrate all her academic accomplishments that led to an acceptance to Stanford University this fall.
“Oh it’s been absolutely heartbreaking, and I feel like thats the general feeling of class of 2020 as a whole,” she said. “Being able to reach this milestone and not get celebrated the proper way after working so hard.”
The coronavirus pandemic stole traditional high school graduation ceremonies from this year’s graduating class, just one of many disappointments for high school seniors across the nation who will miss prom, final performances, senior sports banquets and other long awaited memories.
After many graduation ceremonies were cancelled in early April, Los Angeles area schools and districts launched into planning mode for a wide array of alternative graduation and culmination ceremonies. That planning, however, is complicated by indeterminate May and June public health guidelines.
There’s no way to walk across a stage in cap and gown before an audience of hundreds if not thousands on Zoom, but schools are hoping to hold events that honor student accomplishments and mark transitions for families nonetheless.
At L.A. Unified, Suavillo and other senior representatives are helping Superintendent Austin Beutner try to determine the best online platforms for virtual ceremonies. The idea of a “drive-by” graduation set up similarly to the ‘Grab and Go’ meal distribution sites across the district was deemed inappropriate by public health officials.
That might change in six weeks, said superintendent Austin Beutner, but the question remains: How do you make something meaningful online out of a ceremony centered around a physical gathering? A virtual version of graduation rituals is difficult to imagine.
“What we’d like to do his get everybody together and laugh and hug and cry but we’re not in the position to do that, so we’re continuing to explore with authorities what the possible may be,” said L.A. Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner. “When you think about it virtually … it might be a little more yearbook and a little less graduation. Groups of students saying they want to create a song, or make videos and you might have ways to have speakers.”
Nick Melvoin, school board member representing much of West L.A. schools, said he’s trying to connect schools with resources like virtual reality filmmakers who held a graduation ceremony at the University of Nebraska. Setting aside funding for a physical event later on, like at Dodger’s stadium, is something he aims to advocate for.
Suavillo is weighing the virtues of pre-recorded versus real time videos, and working on creating a districtwide senior achievement website. Another option is to postpone physical events to the fall.
Certain undisclosed celebrities, Beutner added said, have been invited to make an appearance in forthcoming virtual celebrations. With celebrities in mind, students across California and beyond have gotten creative in their quest for replacement senior celebrations.
Eagle Rock High School senior Lincoln Debenham went viral on Twitter with a request that former president Barack Obama make a commencement speech for the Class of 2020 nationwide. High school student body presidents across the country started a group two weeks ago on Instagram, @caclassof2020, and got actor John Krasinski to post a virtual prom video and forthcoming graduation video.
At nearby and much smaller Las Virgenes Unified, Superintendent Daniel Stepenosky said the district may ship caps and gowns and potentially hold a socially distanced event by staggering students walking across the stage. Another idea is to hold a diploma drop-off with school staff, or creating a time capsule as a way to commemorate the day and delaying graduation until summer.
Officials at Pasadena Unified, too, have been surveying seniors to determine safe graduation ceremonies and other “Seniorbrations,” but did not share details beyond that.
With L.A. County officials beginning to discuss plans to ease stay at home orders, alternative graduation ceremony plans are likely to come into more focus over the next couple weeks as the school year slows to a close.
Meanwhile, to keep up morale, Suavillo is looking into the promotion of a districtwide virtual spirit week — maybe with a college colors day or tourist dress-up Tuesday. Anything to remind students that their accomplishments are worth celebrating even amid a pandemic.
“A lot of us feel like there’s no more motivation, and we don’t want to do much. But I know it’s not right if we just let it slip by and not do anything to celebrate, even if it has to be virtual,” she said. “It’s better than not recognizing our achievements at all.”
