HANCOCK COUNTY — Plans for high school graduation dates and times are starting to take shape around the county. District officials say ceremonies will be as close to normal as possible for the Class of 2021 with students picking up their diplomas on time.
Holding graduation ceremonies will bring back the pomp and circumstance that were missing in 2020. The schools wound up having smaller ceremonies in July — two months after the traditional graduation dates — and held other events in the interim, such as community parades.
Officials with New Palestine High School have set graduation for 7 p.m. Friday, May 28, at Kelso Stadium. Makeup dates are scheduled 11 a.m. Saturday, May 29, or 7 p.m. that day. If none of those dates are possible, the students will graduate at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 2.
Officials at Mt. Vernon High School are planning for a normal outdoor graduation ceremony at Hancock Health Stadium slated for 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 11. Rain dates are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 12, or 4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 13.
Eastern Hancock High School Principal Adam Barton said the school is on schedule for a Saturday, June 5 graduation ceremony in the school’s gymnasium.
Greenfield-Central also is looking at having a ceremony on June 5 but hasn’t finalized a date or decided whether the event will be held in the school gymnasium or outdoors.
Pandemic considerations will be in the forefront.
New Palestine normally holds its graduation ceremony in the school’s gymnasium. The pandemic forced the school to hold it outdoors last year, and it worked so well officials have decided to use the outdoor venue again this spring.
“We’re excited about it because I think we’re starting to see some of the major events coming back,” community relations director Wes Anderson said.
To be able to have graduation at its traditional time makes district leaders feel good about the strides the schools made in adjusting to such extraordinary circumstances, Anderson said.
“It’s a great way to send off the Class of 2021,” Anderson said.
Since graduation is still several weeks away, leaders know things could change if COVID numbers spike, so they’re moving forward cautiously.
As New Palestine and Mt. Vernon plan their outdoor events, they’re already thinking about social distancing and the use of masks.
“It will likely be a similar setup as we had last year, and we will adjust student seating and the number of guests each senior can bring based on the current health protocols at that time,” said Maria Bond, director of community relations for Mt. Vernon schools.
If the schedule holds, Mt. Vernon’s ceremony will be the final one this year. After delaying the start of school last fall, the district already pushed back the end of school. The calendar calls for the last student day to be Tuesday, June 8, and the last teacher day is slated for Wednesday, June 9.
That’s why Mt. Vernon’s graduation ceremony is two weeks later than it normally would be.
Last year, the Eastern Hancock High School Class of 2020 held a drive-by parade on the day they would have held a graduation ceremony in early June and posted a video celebrating the class. The long procession of student vehicles started at the high school and went through Charlottesville, Wilkinson and Shirley, before ending at the Shirley Fire Station. Weeks later, the school held a smaller ceremony for grads.
This year, the school hopes to put on its traditional commencement.
“We will work with the health department as we get closer to May to determine any limitations that we may need to put in place, but we are definitely looking forward to having graduation on June 5,” Barton said.
Officials with Greenfield-Central High School officials have yet to set an official graduation date. While they’ve targeted Saturday, June 5, as the day they’d like to send the Class of 2021 off into the world, they haven’t determined if the ceremony will be indoors or outdoors just yet, Superintendent Harold Olin, told the Daily Reporter.
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Tentative graduation dates for Hancock County high schools:
New Palestine: 7 p.m. Friday, May 28 at Kelso Stadium.
Mt. Vernon: 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 11 at Hancock Health Stadium.
Greenfield-Central High School: Saturday, June 5, time and location to be determined.
Eastern Hancock High School: Saturday, June 5, time to be determined, inside the gymnasium
District officials warn that dates and times could change depending on COVID-related restrictions that may be in place at that time.
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