The Jefferson High Class of 2020 celebrated its graduation Sunday, together, but still six feet apart.
The plan, carefully put together by school administrators due to COVID-19, was for a limited number of friends and family members to enter the football stadium in alphabetical order based on each graduate’s last name. Family areas were marked by white spray paint and yard signs with each graduate’s name and photo were placed around the track to alert friends and families where they were assigned to sit — all in an effort to promote social distancing.
It was a plan designed to fit what would be a historic graduation, as school had been closed since March due to the pandemic. For many, it was likely the first they had seen each other in two months.
What they didn’t plan on was the wind, said Jefferson High School Principal Mike Moodry.
The wind, clocked at up to 35 mph by the National Weather Service, was strong enough to blow the mortar board off the head of more than one graduate.
With everyone seated in their designated sections, Salutatorian Jadyn Bellander was the first student to make the short jaunt to the crows nest overlooking the field where she addressed her fellow classmates. To watch, each attendee and graduate swiveled their lawn chairs 180 degrees.
“Are you packing?” Bellander asked a confused crowd.
“T-P,” she said holding a roll of toilet paper.
The joke — based on the hoarding of toilet paper at the start of the pandemic — was the first of many references to COVID-19 throughout the next three speakers.
Co-valedictorian Faith Dobyns told her class that she believes they are fortunate to have graduated during COVID-19, because they won’t take things for granted in the future. She also added quotes from popular TV series characters including Michael Scott, from “The Office.”
“I knew exactly what to do. But in a much more real sense, I had no idea what to do,” Dobyns said, quoting Scott.
Co-valedictorian Ethan Smartnick was the third student to take the microphone. He thanked his classmates, coaches, teachers and parents; including Dawn Smartnick, a career and technical education teacher at JHS, “AKA mom,” he said. He also specifically thanked his football team who consoled him after a football injury that took him out of his senior season.
This year’s class speaker was Steve McCauley, a science teacher at Jefferson High School who also had a son graduating. He gave advice to the class of 2020 that he believed adhered to the class motto:
“Cherish yesterday, live for today and reach for tomorrow.”
He began by telling the crowd that there are four things they need to know prior to his speech, each one a joke aimed at the graduating students.
First, he has been told, by the students, that his jokes are “dad jokes.” Second, he finished the speech 15 minutes before presenting, much like some of the students did with his assignments. Third, the speech was 11 pages, but only because of two-inch margins and a size 18 font, said McCauley. And, lastly, if anyone is disruptive during the speech, including friends and family of the graduates, there would be detention after the ceremony, he said.
McCauley concluded with a final message illustrated by a short story called, “The Mountain.” Ultimately, life is simply a reflection of our actions and you only get out of it, what you put into it.
To end the ceremony, graduates were announced by Moodry, and as students picked up their diploma that sat on a table in the center of the stage on the field, as well as a rose and a gift from the Booster Club. All guests attending for the graduate would exit with them. Graduates were encouraged to toss their caps on the way out.
Chairs were left empty for three students who were unable to attend graduation. Each student was acknowledged during the ceremony. Dakota Dorn and Tyler Dryer had left earlier Sunday morning in order to join the United States Marines and had a smaller ceremony earlier in the week.
The third chair was for Jonah Anspach, who passed away the summer before the Class of 2020’s eighth grade year.
