MUSKEGON, MI – Muskegon High School’s graduating seniors finally got the closure they needed as they move on to the next chapter of their lives.
The “Big Red” class of 2020 celebrated their high school graduation Wednesday, June 25, with an open-air commencement ceremony at the high school’s football stadium – which students called a “dream come true” after the coronavirus pandemic derailed their original commencement plans.
“It’s very exciting, it makes me so happy,” graduate Cayla Hinkle told MLive. “It was so sad when they said we couldn’t have a graduation and finally after so many emails having been sent, it finally happened.
“It is kind of a dream come true because I am graduating with my diploma, with my class and my parents get to watch.”
The evening was filled with many characteristics of a traditional commencement ceremony, as students walked across the stage to receive their diplomas with their loved ones watching from the crowd. The district livestreamed the ceremony, which can be viewed here.
But there were a few differences at Hackley Stadium on Wednesday to comply with social distancing orders amid the coronavirus pandemic. Students were spaced 6 feet apart from one another and were handed their diplomas from administrators in masks and gloves.
Each student was allowed to invite two guests only, and spectators were spaced apart in the stadium bleachers.
But it was a small price to pay for the graduating seniors as they finally got the commencement ceremony they had been waiting for.
“It feels so good to have a real graduation,” graduate Alexis Gregory told MLive. “I got the closure I needed from school.”
Muskegon administrators had previously announced plans for a socially distanced ceremony, where students would each have their own individual, 5-minute ceremonies in front of six invited guests. The ceremonies were going to be recorded for a complete video compilation of all graduates, the district had announced.
But those plans were soon scrapped after students objected to the idea, voicing their wishes to graduate together as a class.
RELATED: Muskegon High cancels socially distanced commencement after idea vetoed by students
“These young men and women have sacrificed and lost out on so many traditional aspects of their senior year,” Cortez wrote on Facebook after cancelling the socially distanced ceremony. “They deserve our extra patience and effort to bring some type of normalcy to their commencement.”
Graduate Arthur Marlowe said he was “overwhelmed” by Wednesday’s ceremony, as he and his friends finally got to commemorate their graduation.
“It is a good thing to be with everybody, it’s like one big family here,” he told MLive.
Muskegon Public Schools first honored its graduating seniors in April, when the lights of Hackley Stadium were flipped on for 20 minutes and 20 seconds, in honor of the class of 2020.
The tribute was part of a national “Be the Light” movement following Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order April 2 to close schools for the remainder of the school year, ending all sports and other activities, such as prom and graduation, across the state.
The district also hosted a parade last week, which featured students donned in caps and gowns driving around Muskegon High School in decorated cars to cheering friends and family members that lined the streets.
MLive Multimedia Specialist Alison Zywicki contributed to this report.
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