Graduate Parades A Big Hit Despite Weather

Both Southern Lee and Lee County High Schools continue to improvise ways to celebrate their graduates.   COVID-19 has caused havoc to “normal” graduations this spring, leaving school officials to invent new ways to honor the graduates of the class of 2020.    Both local schools have announced diploma pick-ups scheduled for next week where graduates can “drive thru” for pictures and a diploma presentation.  Both schools also held parades for their graduates – Southern Lee on Tuesday the 26^th and Lee County on Thursday the 28^th.

Both parades had plenty of parents, friends, and relatives on the roadsides cheering on their graduates and both turned into events that featured and congratulated the participating seniors.   Even the iffy weather on Thursday night did nothing to dampen the excitement of the parade.    Both schools needed support of the administration to pull off the parades on short notice as well as the help of parent volunteers, local law enforcement and school Booster Clubs to make it work.

WFJA got involved with the parades over the last week after agreeing to provide an hour of music for each parade along with congratulatory remarks between songs from school administrators and staff.   Each school sent staff to WFJA in the days prior to the parades to record their messages to the graduates and students from each school sent in suggestions for music.    WFJA’s Roy Coston produced and anchored each parade broadcast on WJFA radio.

Over the last month we have seen different types of make-shift graduations around the country.  A Florida school recently held a graduation on the beach.   We have seen some creative events that administrators have come up with to make things work.    Our country will certainly return to “normal” one day.   Certainly graduations will return to the “norm” as well.    But hopefully some of the ideas we have seen this spring, will remind us there are many ways to honor a graduate…and hopefully we will be more open to different types of activities to honor future graduates.