CHS senior parade set for Sat.; grad plans under review

Note: Dates for certain senior events have been updated since the print edition.

It will be a festive scene in the center of Canton on Saturday with a celebratory ‘car parade’ on tap for the members of the Canton High School Class of 2020 and their families.

Organized by the school in conjunction with local public safety departments, the parade will kick off at 9 a.m. with vehicles departing from CHS and traveling in a loop through the downtown area and back to the school via Church, Neponset and Chapman streets. Students and their families are encouraged to decorate their vehicles, while houses and businesses along the parade route can also show their support by decorating their windows or storefronts.

Canton Police and Fire vehicles will lead the parade, and any spectators who gather along the route must wear masks and stay six feet apart from other family groups.

“The Senior Parade will be a great opportunity to honor Canton’s amazing Class of 2020,” said CHS Principal Derek Folan. “We are so thrilled for our seniors and their families.”

The event is one of several that are being planned for this year’s seniors as they culminate their high school experience amid the global coronavirus pandemic. A virtual Scholarship Night will be held June 1 and a virtual Scholastic Honors Night is scheduled for June 3. The school has also booked two alternative dates for senior prom this summer in the event that such a celebration is permitted to be held.

Meanwhile, hopes of a more traditional outdoor graduation ceremony have seemingly been revived following the release of new state guidelines last week by the commissioner of education. The guidelines, issued by the Department of Public Health and relayed in a May 21 memo by Commissioner Jeffrey Riley, permit ceremonies to take place outdoors beginning July 19 with specific safety precautions in place and “assuming the public health data supports the continued opening” of the commonwealth as outlined by Governor Charlie Baker.

In an email sent to staff and families over Memorial Day weekend, CHS Principal Derek Folan, who had previously announced plans to hold an “adapted,” drive-up-style graduation on the weekend of June 5-7, acknowledged receipt of the new guidelines and said he had planned to meet with safety officials to review them on Tuesday, May 26.

In his previous communication with the senior class, Folan had indicated a preference to hold an “adapted ceremony in June rather than risk the possibility of not having one at all.” However, at that time Folan said there was no evidence that large gatherings would be permitted and also expressed a willingness to “hold an additional community event if restrictions lessen in the summer or in the fall.”

The new DPH guidelines effectively pave the way for a more traditional commencement ceremony to be held this summer, pending approval by local stakeholders. However, there are a number of variables that would need to be considered — including whether to proceed with the June drive-up event as previously scheduled. An announcement on these and other graduation-related details is expected to be forthcoming later this week.

If Canton were to proceed with an outdoor ceremony after July 19, DPH guidelines stipulate that graduates as well as spectators not from the same immediate household must be spaced six feet apart. Attendance would be limited to immediate family members only and they would have to sign up in advance. Children under age 5 would be discouraged from attending.

Additionally, all attendees, including all graduates and staff, would be required to wear a face covering, and anyone not wearing a face covering (except for those with a medical condition) may be denied entry. The ceremony would have to be “as brief as possible,” and hugging or hand shaking would not be permitted. No food or drink would be allowed, and guests would be required to leave the premises immediately after the ceremony concludes.

A copy of Commissioner Riley’s memo on graduation guidelines can be accessed at www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop.html.

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Posted by Jay Turner on May 29 2020. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.