GRADUATING IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC: Lawn Graduates
Pomp and Circumstance On Eudora Street
By Cara DeGette
Editor, GPHN
For graduates of all ages, this year there was no chance for a collective donning of the cap and gown. There was no official stage to cross, and no chance for the classic diploma swap and grip-and-grin photo with school leaders.
With in-person graduations postponed or canceled completely because of the pandemic, graduates, their families and friends all over the neighborhood have come up with alternatives.
On May 6, neighbors of graduates between the 2300 to 2600 blocks of Eudora Street gathered on Ryan Hunter’s front lawn to honor the achievements of several young scholars who have grown up together. The celebration included grads from multiple blocks and multiple grades, including one college grad, four high school grads and two 8th grade grads. Proper physical distancing measures were in effect.
To commemorate the day, students walked down the street in a processional, accompanied by the traditional Pomp and Circumstance. The graduates were then recognized individually, including proclamations of where they were from, and where they are headed. Poems were read and parents made speeches.
Other impromptu and sometimes spontaneous celebrations have included yard signs and spontaneous drive-by parades. It’s a year that graduates will be sure to remember.
Related Coverage
Graduating in Times of Pandemic: Interviews with students
Dear Class of 2020: Letter from a fellow graduate
Thoughts on Leadership: Several Park Hill school principals share their thoughts on education in the age of pandemic.
Online Extra: East Principal John Youngquist, theater chair Matthew Murphy and longtime sociology teacher Michael Hernandez weigh in on the challenges of the past several months.