McKay High School 2019 summer graduates wait in the West Salem High School lunchroom before the ceremony (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)
Salem-Keizer’s high schools will host dozens of small in-person graduation ceremonies in August, recognizing the Class of 2020 while following health guidelines limiting the size of events.
The decision, announced this week, comes after Superintendent Christy Perry met with senior class leaders in April, who told her students wanted to celebrate finishing high school in person, even if it meant delaying the ceremonies traditionally held in June.
Over 2,300 Salem-Keizer seniors have met graduation requirements this year, district spokeswoman Lillian Govus said, while about 240 still have not.
The district’s six traditional high schools will hold multiple outdoor ceremonies back-to-back, each with about 45 students who can invite four guests each. Schools have emailed seniors and their families to figure out how many want to attend and will decide the number of ceremonies based on RSVPs, Govus said.
Each school is developing its own plan for ceremonies. Sprague High School expects to hold six hour-long graduations where principal Chad Barkes and a student speaker will address graduates, followed by students walking across the stage, then picking up diplomas after the ceremony.
An hour and a half between ceremonies will allow chairs to be sanitized and dry before the next group of students and families.
Govus said other high schools have or are developing similar plans.
High schools will hold ceremonies on their campuses except for McKay High School, which will hold ceremonies at Blanchet Catholic School. Govus said McKay may need to spread ceremonies over two days because of the size of the graduating class.
Roberts High School, Early College High School and other alternative programs, including the teen parent program, will have ceremonies at the Elsinore Theatre. Those graduating classes are small enough to allow social distancing rules and group size limits to be maintained indoors.
Celebrations for graduating Black and Indian Education program seniors will be virtual this year.
A full schedule of planned graduation events is below. More information is available on the district website.
July 31–AVID Graduation Celebration. Location: East Salem Community Center
August 2–African American Graduation Celebration. Location: Virtual Ceremony
August 3–Indian Education Graduation Celebration. Location: Virtual Ceremony
August 4–West Salem High School. Location: West Salem High School
August 4–Sprague High School. Location: Sprague High School
August 5–Community Transition Program. Location: West Salem High School
August 5–McKay High School. Location: Blanchet High School
August 5–Roberts High School. Location: Elsinore Theatre
August 6–North Salem High School. Location: North Salem High School
August 6–Early College High School/Teen Parent Program/Baker. Location: Elsinore Theatre
August 7–McNary High School. Location: McNary High School
August 8–South Salem High School. Location: South Salem High School
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Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
