Local group helps graduates celebrate
Parents and community members are showing their support for Siloam Springs High School graduates with an adopt a senior group.
The Siloam Springs Adopt a Senior Class of 2020 Facebook group is inspired by a larger national movement to connect graduating seniors with people who want to encourage them, according to organizer Jennifer Thorne, who administers the private group with Misty Herrell and D’Etta Mason.
Parents and family members can nominate their student to be adopted and community members can pick a student to support through care packages, cards and letters of support. As
of Monday, the group had more than 1,100 members and had a list of 74 students who have been adopted and 44 students who have been nominated for adoption.
“We just want to give back to the community and honor these amazing students and their accomplishments and let them know we do love them as a community and do support them despite everything in this crazy world,” said Thorne, who is also parent of senior Breanna Boyle.
On Saturday, Johnny Key, state education secretary, asked Arkansas public schools not to plan traditional graduation ceremonies until at least July 1, according to a report in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Schools can begin submitting proposals this week for nontraditional celebrations to the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education for approval, he said.
Earlier this month, Siloam Springs Superintendent Jody Wiggins said the high school is hopeful to have a physical high school graduation ceremony somewhere on campus later in the summer. However prom is canceled, he said. On Monday, Wiggins said there were yet to be any updates to graduation plans.
The last four years have been leading up to these final months and seniors are missing out on more than graduation ceremonies and proms, they are also losing the chance to make memories such as senior skip day and saying goodbye to teachers, according to Thorne.
“They just had a lot of things taken away with covid-19 and I just want to be able to give our seniors something to look forward to,” she said.
She created a simple questionnaire for students that includes information such as their favorite sports team, music, drinks and snacks to help give adopters ideas for surprises. Adopters don’t need to go out and spend a lot of money, they can send students cards and letters, a homemade gift, or their favorite Sonic drink, Thorne said.
Care packages and goody bags can be delivered in person or by mail, whichever the adopted family prefers. Thorne or one of the other two group moderators can also arrange for someone to deliver packages for adoptive families who wish to remain anonymous, she said.
Terrie Miller said her daughter Bethany Miller cries almost every day about something she is missing with her senior year.
“She has a high functioning cognitive-disability, she has come a long way and she wants to walk across the stage,” Terrie said. “She has earned this, she has come a long way in 18 years, we want to do things up big.”
Terrie said she is amazed by the adopt a senior group and the way it is putting students in the limelight. Terrie has adopted Thorne’s daughter and vice-versa, and they have enjoyed surprising each other, she said.
Bethany said it is difficult missing the experiences she has been looking forward to during her senior year, but that participating in the adopt a senior group has helped her take her mind off of the disappointment.
It made her feel special and loved to know her friends and their families care about her, Bethany said. She has also had fun planning surprises for her friend, she said.
“It makes me feel good that I can help in any way possible and also make her feel special,” she said.
Thorne plans to do weekly contests, which began when the group hit 1,000 members. She hopes to keep the page open until June 15 to make sure there is plenty of time for seniors to join the page and get adopted, she said.
The page also includes a tab for hometown businesses, with gift ideas that will help local businesses and shops, she said.
“We are blessed to live in a community that is so supporting of these seniors and their accomplishments to help send them on their new journey in life,” she said.