Virtually Set
Summit grads receiving virtual graduation Keepsakes for 2020 PC grads and ceremony — in 2021
Summit Charter College Academy is making sure its high school graduates will still have a memory of their graduation.
The school has begun the process of providing a virtual graduation for its seniors. The campus is lined up with yard signs with the face of each senior.
To commemorate their graduation, each senior will walk by the yard signs as they they take their final walk onto campus.
The school has also scheduled for each senior to walk by themselves into the gym. Their name is called and a short speech is given.
“Though there is not a large crowd cheering them on we were able to create a memorable opportunity for seniors to take their last walk on our campus,” SCCA stated.
The seniors have been coming to Summit this week one family at a time. Ten of Summit’s graduates are graduating with associate degrees from Porterville College.
Once seniors enter the gym, they walk the traditional graduation walk. SCCA principal Martin Medina reads a short paragraph for each senior recalling their favorite memories and covering their future plans.
The response to Summit’s efforts have obviously been positive. Roxanne Tursi, a mother of a 2020 Summit Collegiate senior expressed her thanks to the Summit’s staff by saying “Thank you for going above and beyond.”
A final virtual graduation video is being compiled and will be shared with all of the Burton School District on the originally scheduled night of SCCA’S graduation on June 4.
“Burton School District is proud of all of their 2020 graduating seniors and is honored to be able to provide this experience for their families,” the district said in a released statement.
PORTERVILLE COLLEGE
2020 Porterville College graduates will receive a ceremony — in 2021.
PC’S Commencement Ceremony was scheduled for Friday, May 15. “We are disappointed and heartbroken over the current circumstances, as they do not allow us to hold a ‘traditional’ commencement ceremony at this time,” PC stated in its newsletter.
PC also stated its not feasible to play a commencement ceremony for any time soon.
The school conducted a survey of its graduates. In a video posted on PC’S website, PC president Dr. Claudia Habib stated 67 percent of the students said they wanted a keepsake or memento “in place or in lieu of a ceremony.”
She added the school
is working on something “very special for our graduates and we think you’re going to like it.”
The school stated it had hoped to have the keepsakes ready by Friday, which would have been when the commencement ceremony was held. But the school added because
of the closure of many businesses and lengthened delivery time, it’s now planned for the keepsakes to be ready the first week of June.
As far as ceremony for 2020 graduates, the school stated because of the uncertain circumstances, it can’t commit to a fall event. But the school added the school is committed to providing a commencement ceremony
for the Class of 2020 in May — of 2021.
The school stated it plans on providing a unique ceremony and it will be seperate from the Class of 2021’s Commencement Ceremony. The school added it would provide details on the Class of 2020’s ceremony – to be held in the spring of 2021 – at the end of this fall.