‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ moments likely lost for the class of 2020: Graduation ceremonies, proms unlikely to go on

A school year thrown into uncertainty ends with all in-person classes canceled.

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Graduating Hancock College Prep senior Evelyn Roman, 18, said not walking across the stage to receive her diploma will be the hardest part of an already tough school year upended by the coronavirus.

Graduating Hancock College Prep senior Evelyn Roman, 18, said not walking across the stage to receive her diploma will be the hardest part of an already tough school year upended by the coronavirus.

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s announcement that schools across Illinois would remain closed for the rest of the school year has almost certainly meant the yearly rituals of graduating seniors won’t take place in a traditional way for the class of 2020.

Speaking at a press conference Friday, Prtizker lamented the impact his decision would have on those students who stand to miss out on prom, graduation ceremonies and other senior events.

“To our high school seniors who are leaving this phase of their teen years behind in a way that they never expected,” Pritzker said, “I know you’re feeling sad about missing the rituals of senior prom and senior pranks, senior nights, and of course, graduation. Hear it from me as your governor: There’s room for you to feel all those things, big and small. You will get through this, too.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot called the announcement “difficult news,” especially for students who will experience “the pain of missing the many special milestones, which our families and young people count on and look forward to every year.”

25,000 CPS seniors in limbo

Chicago Public Schools has yet to say how they will tackle graduation for the senior class, which this year numbered 25,000 students, including those enrolled at city charter schools, according to district figures.

“I’m sorry,” CPS CEO Janice Jackson told students, saying that “while it will not be the same, we will do our best to celebrate, support and lift you up during this difficult time.”

Students say they’re disappointed they wont be able to say goodbye to their teachers and classmates in person, as well as make those lasting memories.

Evelyn Roman, an 18-year-old senior at Hancock College Prep in West Elsdon, said the not being able to walk across a stage and be handed a diploma will be the most difficult part of an already disrupted final year in high school.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment to graduate from high school,” said Roman, who said she wanted to thank her teachers in person and see her friends before school ended. “You can do that over Zoom or Facebook, but it’s just not the same. You can’t hug. It doesn’t feel as personal.”

As the first in her immediate family to get a diploma, Roman said her disappointment will also be shared by her relatives. Still, she. understands why the governor did what he did: “It’s disappointing, but you can’t really blame anyone and when you think of the people that are dying, graduation doesn’t seem like as big of a deal,” she said.

Nayeli Flores, 18, of Gage Park regrets her senior class wont experience a prom “like every other class did.”

Nayeli Flores, 18, of Gage Park regrets her senior class wont experience a prom “like every other class did.”

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CPS senior Nayeli Flores, 18, of Gage Park,went shopping for graduation clothes and prom dresses with her friends only a a few weeks ago. She planned to wear “something long, simple, [and] colorful.” Her friends were coordinating colors to make sure they didn’t wear the same thing and had already made plans to get ready together at a friend’s home and rent a party bus.

“Prom is only going to happen once and it’s sad we wont get to have that like every other class did,” she said.

Like Roman, walking across the stage held special significance for her and her family.

“I wanted to walk across the stage and feel like I made it,” Flores said.

Both students said they hoped the district would find an alternative date for these end-of-year events.

Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Stacy Davis Gates said the loss of senior events like this was “something that no one in our generation has ever experienced.”

“We’re going to have to figure out how to provide that ritual to them because that is a rite of passage and it is one that they have earned and deserve to participate in,” the union leader said by phone Friday. “We’re going to have to be creative in the meantime to figure that out.”

Alternative celebrations explored

Josh McMahon, principal of Morton West High School in west suburban Berwyn, said his district was also trying to think creatively to try and make sure students don’t miss out.

Those could include: a students-only ceremony with graduates spread 6-feet-apart that would be live-streamed; a drive-in graduation ceremony, similar to how a drive-in movie theater is laid out, with a backdrop that looks like a stage; and even a drive-thru ceremony, so families can celebrate inside their vehicles when their student receives a diploma.

McMahon said he was “holding out hope that we could do something over the summer.”

All of that, though, would depend on how long the state’s social-distancing and stay-at-home orders continue. The district will rely on guidance from Carmen Ayala, the state’s superintendent of schools.

“We don’t want to offer something that we later can’t do,” McMahon said. “This year has just been a difficult time. I hope we can come up with a great plan.”

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