With large gatherings still banned under DeWine’s ‘Stay Safe Ohio’ order, high schools in the Miami Valley are getting creative in finding solutions for graduation ceremonies.
Bethel High School in Tipp City opted to give each of their roughly 100 graduating seniors a private ceremony with immediate family, with an added bonus.
The graduating seniors got to choose someone to join them on stage and hand them their diploma. Some seniors chose their teachers, and others siblings, but the most common choice was mothers.
“Obviously it’s not the kind of celebration we wish we could give, but we’re trying to make the best of the moment,” Bethel’s superintendent Justin Firks told News Center 7′s James Rider.
Senior Brielle Gattrel appreciated the unique graduation, and also chose her mother for the special moment. “She’s done so much for me over the years...we’ve gotten even closer over quarantine.”
Firks says that the response has been incredibly positive, and he has seen many parents in happy tears.
Brielle described the silver lining best: “Whether or not graduation happened like this [or how it was supposed to], it still symbolizes moving forward. It’s just a different way of doing things.”
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