Most people would agree that their high school graduation ceremony was memorable. This year, amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, graduates in the BH-BL Class of 2020 will be able to say that their graduation was unforgettable–and they’ll have the Spartan face covering to prove it.
Despite the graduation guidelines in Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order, school administrators are honoring as many graduation traditions as possible with mostly the location and the size of the gathering being different for this year’s graduates.
“Our graduates deserve the same amount of pomp and circumstance as other graduates,” says High School Principal Tim Brunson. “They weathered remote learning, quarantine, and the cancellation of cherished senior year events with grace and aplomb, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
On Friday, June 26, 2020 a broadcast will premiere at 8 a.m. that includes the National Anthem performed by senior music students and graduation speeches from the students and staff members who would normally speak during the live ceremony. (See below.)
At 10 a.m. the first commencement session will begin. The sessions will be live-streamed so that family members who cannot attend may still watch the ceremony.
- Introductory Address given by Class of 2020 Vice President Paul Sausville
- Salutatory Address given by David Metacarpa
- Valedictorian Address given by Dillon Aldrich
- Message to the Class of 2020 given by High School Principal Tim Brunson
- Message to the Class of 2020 given by Superintendent Dr. Patrick McGrath
- Message to the Class of 2020 given by Board of Education President Patrick Ziegler
- Musical Performance of OneRepublic’s “I Lived” by Class of 2020 Choir Members
- Closing Address by Class of 2020 President Mikhail Troyan
Due to the restriction on the number of people who can gather at one time, graduates and their family members are being separated into eight graduation sessions. The graduates, 30 at a time, will line up (6 feet apart and socially distanced) on the sidewalk in front of the high school while their family members are seated, also socially distanced, in the audience in Freedom Circle facing the front of the high school’s main entrance.
Donning their Spartan face coverings and their caps and gowns, the graduates will walk across the stage when their name is called to receive their diploma from Principal Brunson and Superintendent McGrath. There will also be a designated area after the students step off the stage where their family and friends can take photos.