KHS graduation video amateurish, disappointing

Dear Editor:

At 3:35 p.m. on Friday, June 26, we received an email from the Kingston school district announcing a virtual graduation for the Kingston High School Class of 2020.

As proud grandparents of an amazing graduate, we clicked on the YouTube link (bit.ly/ khs20-vid) with great anticipation. But instead of a joyful celebration and seeing our granddaughter, what unfolded was an unmitigated travesty.

The production was amateurish, with none of the “pomp and circumstance” usually witnessed at a graduation ceremony. There was no national anthem or Pledge of Allegiance. Speeches by the valedictorian and salutatorian were barely audible, and no class officers spoke. Also missing were shoutouts to the faculty members who worked with these graduates for four years.

The production was rushed, choppy and generally of poor quality. None of the graduates who appeared in the video was identified by name, and in many instances, their heads were cut off by the videographer.

As a proud graduate of KHS (Class of 1958), I was mighty disappointed. And as an added insult, our granddaughter’s name and picture were missing from the production. If we feel bad, how do you think she feels? Most likely, she feels cheated and is left with less than happy memories of KHS.

Yes, 2020 is unlike any other year for all graduates, but the Kingston school district must have better resources and talent than to produce a virtual celebration like this.

David H. Rylance

Port Ewen