Curbside diploma service for Chicago high schoolers graduating in the age of COVID-19

Thousands of students in Chicago and beyond are marking a key milestone this weekend — and they’re finding out what socially distant celebrations look like in a world upended by the coronavirus.

That was the case Saturday morning at Whitney Young Magnet High School, which held a drive-thru ceremony for the Class of 2020 on the Near West Side campus.

Students arrived by car with their families at staggered times and, with face masks in tow, crossed the makeshift stage one by one to receive diplomas.

And instead of a handshake, each graduate got a spritz of hand sanitizer.

Sun-Times photographer Pat Nabong takes you there:

A graduate of Whitney Young Magnet High School gets in his car during the drive-thru graduation on June 13, 2020. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Emanuel Acosta poses for a picture with his diploma during a drive-thru graduation for Whitney Young Magnet High School students on June 13, 2020. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Luis Arriola cheers for his sister during a drive-thru graduation for Whitney Young Magnet High School students. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Emily Gates sanitizes her hands before receiving her diploma during a drive-thru graduation for Whitney Young Magnet High School students. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Mark Berry cheers for his daughter during a drive-thru graduation for Whitney Young Magnet High School students. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Ushers guide Alana Berry to the stage during a drive-thru graduation for Whitney Young Magnet High School students. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Alana, Rachel, Blake, Flavia and Mark Berry pose for a picture during a drive-thru graduation for Whitney Young Magnet High School students on June 13, 2020. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Sonya Bowman cheers for Adrian Bowman during a drive-thru graduation for Whitney Young Magnet High School students. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Ushers cheer and dance for graduates during a drive-thru graduation for Whitney Young Magnet High School students. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Joshua Bobbitt walks to the stage during the drive-thru graduation at Whitney Young Magnet High School. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Joyce Dorsey Kenner, the principal and CEO of Whitney Young Magnet High School talks to a student during the Whitney Young Magnet High School graduation. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Justin Brown poses for a picture during the Whitney Young Magnet High School graduation. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Joyce Dorsey Kenner, the principal and CEO of Whitney Young Magnet High School congratulates a graduate during the Whitney Young Magnet High School graduation. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Joyce Dorsey Kenner, the principal and CEO of Whitney Young Magnet High School fixes Matthew Burzec’s toga during the Whitney Young Magnet High School graduation. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Whitney Young Magnet High School graduates and their families pose for pictures after the drive-thru graduation ceremony. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Whitney Young Magnet High School graduates pose for a picture after the drive-thru graduation ceremony. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times file

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Erica Wells cheers during the drive-thru Whitney Young Magnet High School graduation. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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A graduate of Whitney Young Magnet High School walks around campus after the drive-thru graduation. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Isa Coronel and Pedro Coronel share a moment right after Isa received his diploma from Whitney Young Magnet High School. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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