Great Bend High School seniors are now looking at June 27 for their graduation ceremony.
Seniors and their families were notified of the new plan this week. There is a plan for a traditional commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 27, assuming there are no further delays in the phased timeline to reopen Kansas.
Should delays or guidelines change to prevent the traditional ceremony on the football field at Memorial Stadium, there is an alternate plan for a drive-up graduation on the front steps of the high school on June 27. The time for “Plan B” is yet to be determined.
A letter to seniors (sent in English and Spanish) explains that detailed plans will be provided that include maps for vehicles and for foot traffic. “The plan will include an opportunity for students and families to safely exit the vehicle for students to receive their diploma. The event will be live-streamed (and archived) with speeches from the valedictorian and salutatorian included.”
The letter from Assistant Principal Randy Wetzel explains, “The last thing we want to do is take away this special moment from our students, your child. Instead, we hope you see the certainty of the June 27 celebration as a gift. Throughout their educational career in Great Bend, our guiding mission has been to ‘prepare students to become responsible citizens and life-long learners.’ The next step for us at GBHS is to celebrate this milestone and help your child soar into their next chapter of life.”
Families will continue to receive updates and details for the June 27 event via email. Wetzel noted that student email accounts will remain active until after graduation.
“You’ve heard it before, but I hope you truly understand that this is not the way any of us at GBHS dreamed the year would end. We are extremely proud of the Class of 2020 and have been honored to celebrate with them in new ways this year. I hope you will take a moment to visit the Class of 2020 website https://sites.google.com/usd428.net/gbhsclassof2020 to see the efforts our staff and community have made to honor this group of exceptional students.”
