CMS to hold virtual graduation, drive-thru ceremonies for class of 2020

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Students look forward to prom and graduation during their senior year. But this year, things are obviously different.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Earnest Winston announced Tuesday night that staff recommended a virtual graduation and there would be drive-thru ceremonies and future celebrations for the class of 2020.

CMS officials said the plan is a shell. There’s still a lot to figure out now that they have a direction.

The plan now is to talk with principals and have them talk with staff and students to really make sure they’re creating a memorable and personal experience for students.

“Unfortunately, it has become apparent since the pandemic began, we will not be able to celebrate the class of 2020 in traditional ways,” the superintendent said during Tuesday night’s board meeting via video.

Seniors will get a prerecorded virtual graduation video with speeches and the reading of each graduate's name with photos.

They’ll pick up diplomas during a drive-thru ceremony, and there’s a promise for a future school-based ceremony when conditions permit.

CMS said Tuesday night in a statement: “Winston said that the gathering restrictions and the social-distancing requirements in effect during the COVID-19 pandemic have made a traditional in-person graduation impossible for the Class of 2020. Instead, CMS will hold prerecorded virtual graduations that will feature the elements of a traditional ceremony, including speeches by distinguished visitors, the valedictorian, salutatorian and senior class representative; and the reading of each graduate’s name with available photos. Students and families will be able to watch a virtual graduation prior to receiving their diplomas, which will be provided during a drive-through ceremony. A future school-based celebration will also be held for graduates.”

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Several students and parents addressed the board, who made it clear they weren't happy about the decision.

“The fact you are calling it is a virtual graduation is not true, this is virtual,” student Gianna Sidler said. “You are giving us a video. It is sad to be a part of the school community, and it is embarrassing.

“This makes me very angry, because I feel like the task force could have been more creative,” student Ashley Adam said.

“This just needs to be great,” parent Shumon Hudson said. “They came in at a time of 9/11. They are leaving at the time of a pandemic. This has to be great.”

It was abundantly clear at the meeting that school leaders took no pleasure in making the decision.

Rhonda Cheek, who is a school board member and the parent of a senior, was driven to tears.

“I ask everyone in this community to rally around these kids and pray for us mommas,” Cheek said.

Cheek and other board members hope CMS never has to do anything like this again.

They want the class of 2020 to know they are special and deserve to be celebrated

“I have cried many tears that we are not able to do what we have always done,” Cheek said.

It’s a challenging situation as safety, health and equity have to be top of mind.

Graduations begin as early as next week. There are 31 in total and a graduation task force member told Channel 9 that the conditions have to be the same for all.

CMS set up a task force with parents, students and staff to discuss alternative graduation plans.

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They invited feedback from the community and then the district put out a survey over the weekend asking seniors to weigh in on three options.

Each option included a prerecorded virtual ceremony along with one of the following:

There were about 5,000 votes.

• 38%: A celebratory, scheduled drive-thru event and students would pick up their diplomas at CMS high school sites
• 15%: Diplomas mailed to each student after the virtual ceremony
• 45%: Diplomas mailed to each student after the virtual ceremony and a future school-based celebration

The graduation task force weighed in creating a fourth option.

It was a combination of options A and C, which together got more than 80%, so that is what the district went with.

FULL CMS STATEMENT:

"Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Earnest Winston announced graduation plans for the Class of 2020 at tonight’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education meeting.

Winston said that the gathering restrictions and the social-distancing requirements in effect during the COVID-19 pandemic have made a traditional in-person graduation impossible for the Class of 2020. Instead, CMS will hold prerecorded virtual graduations that will feature the elements of a traditional ceremony, including speeches by distinguished visitors, the valedictorian, salutatorian and senior class representative; and the reading of each graduate’s name with available photos. Students and families will be able to watch a virtual graduation prior to receiving their diplomas, which will be provided during a drive-through ceremony. A future school-based celebration will also be held for graduates.

“This is the first graduation that I’ll oversee as superintendent and I wish with all my heart that it could be a traditional one. But the safety of our graduates, their families and our staff must come first,” Winston said. “Unfortunately, it has been apparent since the COVID-19 pandemic began that we would not be able to celebrate the Class of 2020 in a traditional way.”

Winston said that it was still possible to recognize the Class of 2020 and its achievements despite the limitations imposed by the pandemic. He said that a task force had been convened in March to look at all the options, and that it included experts, parents, staff and graduating seniors.

The CMS Graduation Task Force was created to develop a memorable 2020 graduation, despite challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The task force reviewed all aspects of graduation, including safety and well-being, traditional and hybrid options and senior celebrations. State guidelines and guidance from local health administrators, local law enforcement and other subject-matter experts were considered, along with more than 1,000 survey responses and emails suggesting alternatives.

One of the biggest challenges for the task force was the size of many graduating classes at individual schools. Ardrey Kell and Myers Park, two of the largest CMS high schools, had nearly 800 graduates each this year. In all, the district has almost 10,000 graduating seniors and anticipated more than 102,000 guests would have attended the 2020 ceremonies.

“A virtual graduation wasn’t something that seniors wanted as a whole,” said Dream Allen, task force member and Rocky River High senior. “But being on the task force and being told all the safety measures and guidelines that must be followed, it made sense to everyone that a virtual graduation was the best option.”

The task force developed three virtual options for graduation ceremonies, which were shared with seniors in a graduation survey. Seniors were asked to review the three options and indicate their preference. The superintendent reviewed the survey results before making his final decision.

Erica Nolan, a senior and student body president at Hawthorne Academy of Health Sciences said, “The only option that really made sense was a virtual graduation.”

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