This metro-east high school plans outdoor graduation ceremony with no COVID protocols

Once again Highland High School’s graduation will take place in person, but on the football field.

In 2020, Highland High School had to do a virtual graduation in which the seniors walked the stage with their parents and got their pictures taken individually, but could not hold a full graduation ceremony due to the pandemic. It was a five-day procedure for 190 graduates to walk and be filmed, which required 60 to 70 hours of planning for the faculty and staff.

A year later, Highland restored an in-person ceremony by holding it in the football stadium with students spaced apart on the field and families staggered on the stands. The outdoor ceremony will return this year, according to Superintendent Mike Sutton.

“While life of late has been returning towards normal, the effects of the pandemic are still very evident and impactful in our daily school environments,” Sutton said in an open letter to parents last week.

This time, there will be no requirements for social distancing or masks, as there were last year. Tickets are not required; each grad can have as many guests as they wish to come.

The graduation is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, May 20, with backup dates at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 21, or 7 p.m. Sunday, May 22, if they become necessary. Weather delays will be announced on the website.

Parents of Highland seniors are reminded that senior tributes must be ordered by April 30. Graduation rehearsal will be at 9 a.m. that morning, according to high school staff; families should expect to arrive a half-hour before the ceremony.

For all other students, the school year is scheduled to end on Friday, May 27, with a half-day and a teacher in-service scheduled in the afternoon.

This story was originally published April 25, 2022 at 11:25 AM.