Graduation ceremonies draw thousands despite pandemic fears
HOOVER, ALA. » High schools nationwide have canceled or postponed traditional graduation ceremonies to avoid worsening the spread of the new coronavirus, but some plunged ahead with fullfledged springtime commencement exercises as usual, with tweaks to account for health concerns.
Thousands of graduates, parents, siblings and grandparents were invited to a nearly 11,000-seat stadium on Wednesday and Thursday nights in the Birmingham suburb of Hoover, where two high schools — among the largest in Alabama — were organizing traditional commencement exercises despite COVID-19.
Two schools in nearby cities held their ceremonies Tuesday, with chairs for more than 540 graduates spread apart across a football field at Thompson High and a keynote address by the state school superintendent. Few wore protective face masks, and seniors hugged and gathered in tight groups for pictures.
Dr. Michael Saag, who treats infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said the coronavirus poses too great a risk for such ceremonies since virus carriers without symptoms could unknowingly infect others.
Saag himself became infected in March.
“Having had this before, even if you survive it, which most people do, it’s still a pretty harrowing thing to go through,” said Saag, now back at work.
School officials in Hoover announced the ceremonies in the city’s open-air baseball stadium, after Gov. Kay Ivey had ended state restrictions on the size of group gatherings, as long as people from different households stay 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart.
Hundreds of chairs for graduates were spread across the dirt infield with spectators assigned seats on metal bleachers and in blue stadium seats. Red tape blocked seats to be avoided.
Kathy Murphy, the city school superintendent, said the ceremonies will comply with the rules.
“All of our students will be celebrated, even those who choose not to come, and we understand that. But we will call their names,” Murphy said in a video posted online.
Since Gov. Kay Ivey eased restrictions in recent weeks, cases have risen in parts of Alabama including the capital city, health officials say.
Statewide, Alabama has added as many as 350 new cases per day in the past two weeks, and the state’s average number of new cases has continued to climb. It’s unclear how much of the rise is due to increased testing or increased disease. And there are large numbers of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Montgomery and Mobile, two other major Alabama cities.
Schools in California planned virtual graduations after traditional events were canceled, and students at an Illinois school walked across a stage in an otherwise empty auditorium. Some systems delayed ceremonies until summer or split graduating classes into smaller groups for live ceremonies. Former President
Barack Obama recorded a video graduation speech for seniors.
But Spain Park and Hoover are two of Alabama’s largest, top-ranked state schools. Both are in a heavily populated area, drawing criticism from those who called the ceremonies risky.
As a precaution, the graduates are being given face masks and told not to hug friends, exchange high fives or linger afterward. Tickets are limited to four per student, and all present must wear face coverings. Still, the numbers of potential attendees are daunting at a time when sporting events, concerts, and movies are still prohibited because of crowd concerns.