It’s June, the start of summer — the season of backyard BBQs, gatherings with friends and family, and summer vacations. But for most of us, this summer season may look different than usual. Uncertainty abounds about what the next week will bring, much less July, August or beyond. June is also a month for transitions such as graduations and weddings. But as we sit here in late May, those rites of passage are drastically changed or on hold for many.
I wrote last month about my soon-to-graduate high school senior. Like so many others in the same situation, we anxiously awaited what plans our school district would offer in lieu of the in-person ceremony we knew would be canceled. Now we have learned of a four-step celebration that will combine online celebrations, honors ceremonies, senior salutes via radio and a (hopeful) in-person cap and gown gala where they would get to see their friends and walk across a stage. Friends in other states have also shared their areas’ solutions, which have included appointment-only individual ceremonies, drive-in celebrations, car parades and more. School districts have really had to think out-of-the-box to come up with the best way to move forward and celebrate this key milestone.