Hay Springs High School GRADUATION FAQ’S–April 27, 2020
Q: When will Hay Springs High School graduation ceremony be held?
A: Saturday, May 16, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Mountain Time. It will be a virtual ceremony posted on the District’s website (www.hshawks.com) and on the Hay Springs Public School Facebook page.
Q: What will the virtual ceremony include?
A: The virtual ceremony will include as many of the same features as a traditional graduation ceremony as possible.
• Presentation of Diplomas will take place on Tuesday, May 12th at a designated time for each family to comply with guidelines/directives issued by the Nebraska Department of Education and the Panhandle Health COVID-19 Unified Command. (Click to view Guidelines/Directives)
• Video footage will be taken and edited into the overall ceremony that will be posted on May 16th.
• Graduates can pick up their cap and gown on Tuesday, April 28th prior to the presentation of Diplomas on Tuesday, May 12th.
Q: Why not just wait to hold the ceremony until late July or August?
A: As a school community we want to honor and celebrate the accomplishments of ALL of our graduating seniors. If we were to wait, some students will already be engaged in their future plans and not able to be a part of graduation. Also, there is no guarantee when the Directive Health Measure would allow us to hold a ceremony.
Q: Community members and parents have indicated that they feel it is important for students to have closure and experience graduation together as a class.
A: Unfortunately, it is not possible to have a traditional ceremony at this time, it is possible to do something digitally.
Q: Why make a decision now?
A: The 4th quarter of the 2019-2020 school year has been unprecedented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Hay Springs High School graduating Class of 2020 will have many unusual memories to share as a result of the pandemic. Hopefully our district’s decision to hold a virtual graduation ceremony on the regularly scheduled graduation day will provide our students and families a sense of normalcy during these uncertain times. In making this decision our priorities were to try and ensure the health and safety of our students, staff and community members and honor each of our graduating seniors. By going virtual we can allow all family and friends to be a part of this process in a timely manner.
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