Dear Graduates and Families,
It is with heavy hearts we inform you that the Class of 2020 Commencement Ceremony scheduled for July 15 has been cancelled. This decision was not made lightly as we know how much our seniors and their families were looking forward to an in person ceremony given the challenges the seniors have faced at the end of their high school career.
Unfortunately, the ceremony taking place was dependent on our state moving to phase 5, which would allow for outdoor events of 500 people. In June, when the governor stated she hoped we would be in phase 5 by early July, we had great optimism the ceremony could take place. More recently, we recognized that because of an increase in COVID cases and the categorization of our region as “high risk,” a progression to phase 5 would be unlikely.
Additionally, the district has been in communication with the Ingham County Health Department this week. The Health Department stated they do not foresee the state moving to phase 5 by July 15 and advised us that directly violating the executive order would place significant legal liability on the district.
Phase 4, which is the current designation for our region, does allow for outdoor gatherings of up to 250 people. As such, we discussed the options of having two ceremonies with half the class of 2020 and their two guests at each ceremony or having one ceremony with students only. However, with the recent spike in cases of COVID-19, along with the Health Department’s recommendation, we believe that our community’s health and safety must come first. As a result, the Board of Education and district administration have come to the decision that the district is unable to host the scheduled in person ceremony. Although the ceremony will not take place, we would still like to thank Daisy McManaman, Tara Peplowski, Michelle Smith, and Brandon Weingartz as they put numerous hours into preparing for an in person graduation.
WHS has created a virtual commencement ceremony that will be posted to the WCS website on July 15. In no way can a virtual graduation replace an in person ceremony, but we are hopeful that you are able to enjoy it with your family and friends and be recognized for all of your accomplishments over the past four years.
We, along with you and your families, were very much looking forward to celebrating the class of 2020's graduation in person, and we are disappointed in having to make this decision. You are an amazing and resilient group of young people, and we know you will continue to persevere through this challenging time. Good luck this fall and with all of your future endeavors. You are well prepared to do extraordinary things in the next phase of your life, and WHS is proud to call you alumni!
Sincerely,
Scott Gaffner, President WCS Board of Education
Nancy Deal, Vice President WCS Board of Education
Chris Lewis, Treasurer WCS Board of Education
Sarah Belanger, Secretary WCS Board of Education
Julie Conley, Trustee WCS Board of Education
Amanda Hathaway Frattarelli, Trustee WCS Board of Education
Jeff West, Trustee WCS Board of Education
Kelly Campbell, Interim Superintendent
Steve Delp, Principal
