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Charles City school honors the Class of 2020 – one graduate at a time

  • Charles City High School graduates and families arrive at the high school Sunday afternoon and wait for individual graduation ceremonies because of COVID-19 social distancing. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • Awarding diplomas and taking photographs were done one graduate and family at a time on May 24 at Charles City High School. Now, a class commencement ceremony is being planned for this Sunday. Press file photo by Bob Steenson

  • Associate Principal Larry Wolfe (in face mask) gets another group ready to go up for anindividual graduation ceremony at the Charles City High School Sunday afternoon. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • Teachers Robert and Phoebe Pittman clang a cowbell, bang a gong and shout their congratulations to each Charles City High School graduate to go through the ceremony Sunday afternoon. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • The family of graduate Atticus Parrott watches as Atticus is officially given his diploma and congratulated by high school Principal Bryan Jurrens, left, and Superintendent Mike Fisher. Justin DeVore, district director of communications and community engagement, takes pictures of the graduates that will be available to be downloaded on the school's website and Facebook site. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • Charles City High School Principal Bryan Jurrens (left) and Superintendent Mike Fisher congratulate graduate Autumn Peterson. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • Charles City High School graduate Hayden Pleggenkuhle and his family, sister Melany and parents Rick and Sandy, pose for a photo after Hayden received his diploma Sunday afternoon. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • Charles City High School graduate Selah Opp is congratulated by family after her graduation ceremony Sunday at the high school. Press photo by Bob Steenson

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

In some ways, it was a regular high school graduation.

There were caps and gowns and diplomas. Bright smiling faces on the graduates and proud family members. Hugs and hearty congratulations. Even the weather was typical graduation warm and sweaty.

The difference was in the pacing. Graduation ceremonies don’t typically last seven hours, with elements repeated over and over and over with each individual graduate and his or her family.

But that was the case Sunday afternoon and into early evening as the Charles City School District recognized the high school Class of 2020 — the class that will forever be remembered as the COVID-19 class.

High School Principal Bryan Jurrens said it wasn’t the ceremony they had hoped for on this day, but it had been going very well nonetheless, and gave the district a chance to recognize the graduates’ accomplishments and let them celebrate with their families.

“It’s nice to give everybody something, even though we can’t all do it together,” Jurrens said. “This is their day — they’ve been working a long time to get here — and, you know, give them their 15 seconds of fame, that was our goal. It’s exactly what we wanted it to be.”

Students were divided up by alphabetical last name order and assigned one of seven hourly slots to show up at the high school to receive their diplomas, take home any of their property that had been left behind when coronavirus mitigation efforts canceled classes, and return any school property they still had at home.

As students and their families arrived at the high school during their appointed hour, they lined up in the parking lot, keeping social distances between families until it was each graduate’s turn to receive his or her diploma and be congratulated by Jurrens and Superintendent Mike Fisher, each wearing face masks. Each family was given a chance to take family photos as well.

Justin DeVore, director of communications and community engagement, snapped every graduate’s picture with Jurrens and Fisher and then individually, and helped out the families who wanted group shots on their own camera phones.

Graduation photos that DeVore took will be available for families to download on the school district’s website and Facebook page, he said.

“It’s been going really well. Very smooth,” DeVore said. “We are glad we are able to find ways to celebrate the success and dedication of the Class of 2020.”

People in the first group, scheduled for noon, beginning arriving early and there was a bit of a rush, but soon they fell into a system where everything was ready to go for each family as it reached the head of the line, DeVore said.

Along for moral support and to provide a bit of razzle dazzle were teachers Rob and Phoebe Pittman. Rob struck a cowbell in an increasing crescendo until the official part of each graduate’s ceremony was over, when Phoebe added a reverberating bang on a gong and they both yelled their congratulations.

Asked if they were going to stay all seven hours, Rob Pittman answered, “You bet.”

Asked if their voices were going to last all seven hours, he simply replied, “We’re teachers.” He then added, “I’m a wrestling coach. I was born to yell.”

For a class that has missed many of the last couple of months’ hallmarks of their senior year, Principal Jurrens said the school was still planning to put on a graduation ceremony where they could all participate together.

“We committed that we are going to do it, no matter what,” he said. “With baseball and softball opening back up now, honestly, that kind of opens the door a little bit more for us.

“I don’t have a date, but we’re looking potentially here before the end of the summer, before everybody heads off,” he said.

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