Graduation plans taking shape with virus requirements

Graduation, which was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, is still planned for 8 p.m. July 17 in Panther Stadium.

SILOAM SPRINGS — Superintendent Jody Wiggins shared several options for high school graduation during an online School Board meeting Thursday.

Graduation, which was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, is still planned for 8 p. m. July 17 in Panther Stadium, he said. More details about what the event could look like are taking shape as guidance for large group gatherings develops, he said.

The Chamber of Commerce Honors Luncheon, for honors graduates and their parents, is planned for July 9 at John Brown University, where there’ll be enough room to meet social distancing requirements for the event, he said.

Since Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the state will move to Phase II of opening, large outdoor gatherings will be allowed to fill to two-thirds capacity but social distancing requirements will still be in place, Wiggins said. Families will be required to stay 6 feet apart and attendees will have to wear masks, he said.

The capacity increase will not impact the number of people who can attend graduation because social distancing is the limiting factor in the stadium, Wiggins said. Families will sit in every other row in groups of two or three individuals, spaced 6 feet apart from other families, he said.

If the district hosts an in-person graduation ceremony, the 300 students will be placed on the field and a stage will be set up on one end. Parents would be seated in the bleachers, he said. With social distancing practices in place, the bleachers will be able to accommodate about 700 people, or two to three individuals per student depending on how many students decide to participate, Wiggins said.

Other options would include holding a completely or partially online graduation ceremony, according to Wiggins. A completely online program would feature recorded messages and photos of each student streamed, similar to the scholarship program in May, he said. For a partially online program, only students would be brought into the stadium and the ceremony would be livestreamed, he said.

Other larger districts in the area are considering holding multiple graduation ceremonies over the course of a day or multiple days to limit the number of people, Wiggins said.

“The feeling is, it is going to be warm (in July) and I would hate to think we go through multiple ceremonies that day and have them out on the hot field,” he said, saying the temperature on the field is usually about 10 degrees hotter than other areas.

Wiggins said he spoke to superintendents of several large districts in Northwest Arkansas and all are still investigating options. He hopes to have firm plans in place before the board comes together for a special meeting later this month, he said.

Janelle Jessen may be reached by email at jjessen@nwadg.com.