While we are in the midst of uncertain and unprecedented times during the coronavirus pandemic, seniors around the world are missing out on arguably the best parts of their educational careers. There’s no prom, spring break, senior skip day, or yearbook signing … and there’s certainly no traditional in-person graduations this May and June. Those of us who had the true senior experience can remember the excitement leading up to graduation -- it’s unmatched, and because of that, we really feel badly for The Class of 2020. While our team is still actively fulfilling orders for graduation ceremonies, whether virtual or in the future, we’ve seen many others stepping up to provide The Class of 2020 with some unique ways to celebrate their accomplishments this spring.

Facebook Virtual Graduation Ceremony

Social media giant Facebook announced this week that they are hosting a virtual graduation for all of The Class of 2020 on May 15th with keynote speaker, Oprah Winfrey. According to their press release, “The ceremony will acknowledge high schools and colleges in the US by name, state by state, including photos and videos of the class of 2020 and messages from deans and principals from across the country. Graduates can also host their own virtual graduation ceremony and party via Facebook, with special features including a virtual graduation hub, custom filters, family and friends celebrations enabled by Messenger Rooms, and more.”

Some Good News Throws Caps to Celebrate Grads

Actor John Krasinski started the Instagram account, Some Good News early on in the pandemic as a way to shift gears and focus on all the good that is happening around us despite COVID-19. Each week he creates a newscast from his home office sharing heartwarming stories and videos from around the world of communities coming together during quarantine. A few weeks ago he hosted a virtual prom for high school seniors, and this week he announced he’s planning a special commencement ceremony for The Class of 2020.

Commencement in Cars

We’ve heard stories of high school principals lining the roads leading up to their high schools with photos of graduating seniors, and special virtual ceremonies and yearbook “signings” to congratulate The Class of 2020, but our favorite story comes out of Virginia. Amherst County High School is planning “Commencement in Cars” for their graduating high school seniors this May. According to their principal, every senior will get a ticket for their immediate family’s car, plus a guest car, to witness them graduate in the most creative and social-distancing-abiding way. Lined with teachers cheering them on, students will drive down the road leading to their school and actually walk across an outdoor stage and receive their diplomas! Families will watch on a jumbo screen in the parking lot before setting out for a town-wide car parade down Main Street. The entire town is encouraged to park along the road and offer honks and cheers.

As a reminder, our team continues to operate with a modified business solution, complete with remote and isolated order processing locations. Our goal is to safely deliver honor and recognition gear to schools and institutions to have ready for their students once graduation dates have been reworked. We understand the importance of graduation regalia and what it means to students and faculty and want graduates to mark their accomplishments in a way in which they deserve. No matter what your commencement ceremony looks like this year, our honor and recognition gear means the same and looks just as great!

The Class of 2020 is being unfairly forced to be adaptable, but we think this also sets a positive tone for the rest of their lives. While they have to go with the flow during the coronavirus pandemic and miss out on so many rites of passage moments, we are really happy to see people around the globe coming together to make sure these students get the recognition they deserve.