Butterfield Charter celebrates 97 graduates
It was a beautiful overcast and breezy Friday evening as Butterfield Charter School staff put the finishing touches on the decorations for their drive-thru graduation ceremony. Black and gold balloons sayed in the wind, goodie bags were positioned at the end of the graduation walking path, and a speaker was brought out to play Pomp and Circumstance for the graduates.
Around 5:45 p.m. the first cars arrived in the parking lot, and school staff guided them to the proper spot to wait. By 6 p.m., a line of cars stretching out to the road had formed, and the graduation ceremony began.
Butterfield Charter School Principal Dawn Crater asked a man in attendance if he would lead the flag salute, and then she welcomed everyone who was there.
“I have to say how impressed I have been with these kids this last quarter when we have been on lock down,” said Crater. “They worked hard to continue making progress and here we are tonight. We are just super excited. So many of our students pulled through at the end. Their dedication to make sure they graduated with their class was really great. They really worked so hard.”
The Butterfield Charter School Class of 2020 was host to 97 graduates. And many of those graduates showed up to their ceremony in style. From a large extended limo to a trolley filled with family and friends, Butterfield’s students went all out to celebrate this milestone accomplishment in their lives.
The process for Butterfield’s ceremony was much like other local high schools, students would get out of the vehicle they came in, tell their name to the announcer, fist bump the principal, grab their diploma, stop for a photo and walk.
While these things remained the same, at the ceremony on Friday, each graduate was asked to ring a bell signifying their official graduation from Butterfield before grabbing their goodie bag and heading off into their future.
Crater shared that in the Class of 2020 there was one honorary student, Destiny Garcia. Destiny Garcia passed away early in the school year, but Butterfield staff would not leave her behind. Destiny’s parents were present at the graduation ceremony, and were given Destiny’s diploma. It was an emotional moment for both of Destiny’s parents and for the staff who had been working closely with the Garcia family.