Virtual, drive-in and small gathering graduation ceremonies are permitted while traditional ceremonies are banned in Ohio. Full list of regulations here.
Area schools are looking beyond traditional means to honor their graduating seniors.
School districts should email their plans to newsdesk@cmgohio.com.
>> Coronavirus and Graduations: DeWine lays out official guidelines
- Beavercreek City School District: Graduation has been rescheduled for June 25 at the Nutter Center, but will only happen if guidelines allow large gatherings. The district is looking for alternative options to accommodate seniors and their families.
- Bellbrook High School: Graduates will be assigned a time slot to report to Bellbrook High School with no more than 5 members of their family where they will walk across the stage in their cap and gown May 16. Parents will present them with their diploma cover and a rose. Official diplomas and/or paperwork can be picked up before exiting the building through the side doors. Footage from the event will be used to create a virtual graduation ceremony including music and speeches.
- Bethel High School: Seniors will sign up for a 10-minute time slot to walk across the stage of Bethel Hall and receive their diploma. Each part will be video taped and put into a senior slideshow and added to the district’s YouTube channel on Saturday, May 23, at 3 p.m. At 6 p.m., the school invites seniors to come to the school and line up in their cars for a parade.
- Carlisle Local School District: A virtual graduation ceremony will take place Saturday, May 23, at noon. During the week of May 11, the school will be filming each gradate walking across the stage, being announced, and collecting their diploma. All administrative and student speeches will also be filmed. Each video will be put together to create the virtual ceremony.
- Carroll High School: Each student is permitted to bring up to six family members with them when they receive their diplomas and special awards at the high school. Videographers and photographers will be documenting each moment and recording all speeches so a video can be put together. The process will take place over the course of two to four days.
- Centerville City School District: A Senior Drive Out parade will begin at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 30. Students must remain in their own vehicle. Family members may ride along. Virtual commencement will be 7 p.m., Monday, June 1. The event will be available through a link on the district’s website, www.centerville.k12.oh.us. The Centerville-Washington Twp. community is invited to turn on their outdoor lights at 7 p.m. to “shine a light” on the seniors’ accomplishments.
- Dayton Public Schools: Diploma parades, by vehicle, will be held for graduating seniors June 1 through 6 at Welcome Stadium. Students will drive or be driven through a gathering of teachers holding signs and cheering. At the end of the line, the senior will receive their diploma and have a photo taken. Only one graduate per vehicle. The parades will go rain or shine. Pre-recorded commencement ceremonies, complete with speeches from classmates, the superintendent and the school board will be provided to students along with copies of their graduation photo.
- Eaton Community Schools: Graduation has not yet been cancelled for Eaton seniors. Graduation is planned for May 30. If it is held as planned, social distancing guidelines and a limited guest list will be put in place. If this is not possible, an in-person ceremony for June or July will be planned with social distancing measures. Virtual graduation is the school’s last option.
- Fairborn City Schools: There are no definite plans yet following DeWine’s press conference Tuesday.
- Franklin High School will hold a virtual graduation June 5 at 7 p.m. In addition to the virtual ceremony, a gallery of graduates will be May 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Franklin Community Park “drive-thru style.” If allowable, they plan to hold an in-person celebration at Atrium Stadium at the Franklin Community Park July 30 at 7 p.m.
- Graham High School: A graduation video to be shared through YouTube on the school’s website, Facebook and Twitter accounts will be released May 28. The district is holding Aug. 1 for the formal graduation exercise in the football stadium at 3 p.m. if guidelines allow for mass gatherings.
- Greenville City Schools: Greenville High School is planning a virtual ceremony.
- Kettering City School District: Kettering seniors will be part of a virtual commencement and an in-person ceremony to be held July 25 at Roush Stadium. Social distancing guidelines may play a role in what the July ceremony will look like.
- Lebanon High School: There will be online ceremony on Saturday, May 16, at 6 p.m., shown on Channel 6 (Lebanon) as well as Facebook. A link will be provided. The school still has July 31 reserved at the Nutter Center should social distancing guidelines be relaxed and in-person gatherings are permitted.
- Miamisburg High School: An in-person, drive-up ceremony will be held at Holland Field on Saturday, May 23, at 10:30 a.m. Each family will drive up and the graduate will enter the stadium to hear their name, receive their diploma and stand for pictures. A more traditional virtual ceremony, with music and addresses, will be offered online May 29.
- Northmont City Schools: Northmont High School’s ceremony will be May 16 and 17. Each graduate and up to four family members will enter the school at an appointed time. The graduate will walk onto the stage for their diploma and pictures. At that time, the graduate and family will take a “Last Walk” down Northmont’s Thunderbolt Way and proceed out the doors and to their vehicle. A video of all the seniors will be compiled at a later date.
- Oakwood High School: There will be a virtual commencement Tuesday, May 26, at 7 p.m. The ceremony will be streamed live on YouTube and via the district’s website.
- Piqua City Schools: Piqua is considering three options for graduating seniors: receiving a diploma in the mail, scheduling an appointment to walk the stage, receive a diploma and take pictures, or a possible in-person, socially distanced graduation in July.
- Sidney High School: A live graduation with social distancing, restrictions on number of tickets, and a live video stream of the ceremony is scheduled for June 20. If the live graduation is unable to proceed on that date, the school is preparing to hold a virtual graduation on June 20.
- Springboro Schools: More information to come.
- Springfield City School District: Springfield seniors will schedule time to walk across the stage in the gym. Temperatures will be taken before coming into the building and social distancing guidelines are to be followed.
- Stebbins High School (Mad River Local Schools): Plans are for an in-person ceremony on Thursday, May 21. Families will wait in their cars in the parking lot. Each student will be limited to two guests. Administrators will call the families into the auditorium one at a time so graduates can walk across the stage to get their diplomas. Graduates then will get to take a final walk through the school’s halls. The ceremony will be presented via live stream on Facebook. Jamee Ranta, a Stebbins High School alum who is now a music video producer in Los Angeles, will put together a video of the ceremony. Ranta also is donating 300 masks featuring the school’s logo for students to wear on graduation day.
- St. Henry Schools: A virtual graduation will be followed by the passing out of diplomas in a drive-thru manner.
- Troy City School District: Troy High School has received permission from public health to hold a graduation ceremony at Hobart Arena on May 23. Each family will be given a time frame for when their individual ceremony will take place. Four family members will be allowed to accompany the student. The students will each have the opportunity to walk across the stage, hear their name and receive their diploma. The ceremony will be live-streamed on YouTube and made into a video.
- Waynesfield-Goshen Local Schools: A drive-thru graduation will be May 17 at 2 p.m. The school will organize seniors into a single line by order of diploma in the front parking lot. Once each vehicle pulls up, the senior will step out and a board member will hand the senior their diploma. The school will broadcast the ceremony on Facebook Live. Additionally, a radio link will be established so everyone in line can listen if they don’t have Facebook. A formal ceremony or recognition will be planned for a later date.
© 2020 Cox Media Group
