BHS Class of 2020 - July Graduation

BHS Families:

Attached below please find an information sheet for our upcoming in-person graduation ceremony, to be held on Thursday, July 30^th, at 7:00 p.m., with a rain date of July 31^st. This sheet explains how families can pick up their two guest tickets per graduate, details the schedule for the evening itself, and explains the health and safety protocols that we will be following throughout the event.

While some aspects of a traditional graduation are impossible to recreate using a socially distanced model, I know that everyone is looking forward to seeing the graduates in their caps and gowns, hearing their names read as they cross the stage, listening to our student speakers, and, most importantly, being together for one final celebration of the Class of 2020 and their accomplishments.

Throughout the graduation planning process, we have been working closely with the Braintree Board of Health, and we thank them for their continued support. As a reminder, everyone participating in or attending graduation must wear a mask at all times. In addition, the Board of Health and the BHS administration urge everyone to please stay home if you are feeling sick, showing any symptoms of illness consistent with COVID, or potentially have been exposed to someone that has been confirmed or is suspected to have COVID. We all want the ceremony to be joyous, memorable, and, most importantly, safe for everyone involved.

If you have any questions about any aspect of graduation, please feel free to contact my office.

Be well,

Chris

Dr. Christopher Scully, Headmaster

Braintree High School

Attachment: Graduation Instruction Sheet (PDF)

BHS Class of 2020 Graduation Parade

Premiered Friday, June 19 at 7:30PM

Graduation Thank You

A message from Dr. Scully

Class of 2020 Graduation Film - Trailer

Full film to premier Friday, June 19th at 7:30PM here and on the Braintree Public Schools Facebook Page.

Class of 2020 Graduation Parade - Livestream

Saturday, June 13, 2020

View Photos from the Parade on our BPS Facebook Page (Link)

2020 Graduation Speeches

• Dr. Scully, Opening Remarks and Acknowledgements

• Student Speeches

On Tuesday, May 19^th, I shared with you BHS’s graduation plan, as endorsed by district administrators and the School Committee. In that message, I indicated that we would strive to hold an in-person, sit-down graduation ceremony on either June 13^th or June 27^th, if the necessary approvals from local and state public health officials could be obtained. Later that week, on Thursday, May 21^st, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released previously unannounced guidance indicating that no graduation ceremonies following a traditional model would be allowed until late July, and potentially not at all.

As a result, we will not be able to hold an in-person, sit-down graduation in June. For the reasons that I included in my previous message, however, I still feel strongly that all students and families deserve the inclusive sense of closure that a June graduation brings. At the same time, since as of right now there is a good possibility that conditions later in the summer may allow a ceremony that incorporates some elements of a traditional graduation, BHS will be implementing a two-phased plan for honoring and celebrating the Class of 2020. This plan will incorporate a parade-style graduation and diploma distribution on Saturday, June 13^th that will allow both families and the community to participate, and an evening ceremony in the stadium on Thursday, July 30^th, that will allow those seniors who choose to participate to gather as a group under proper social distancing guidelines, to hear their names read as they walk across a stage and receive their diploma, and to have the experience of a traditional graduation.

All seniors are encouraged to participate in both ceremonies, if they and their families feel it is appropriate for them. Graduates can participate on June 13^th just by arriving at the starting point of the parade, and will be able to formally register for the July 30^th ceremony in early July. To ensure that both ceremonies are as special as possible for graduates and families, students will have the option of receiving their actual diploma at either event. Students who choose to wait until July 30^th to receive their diploma but still elect to participate in the parade-style ceremony on June 13^th will receive a diploma holder with a congratulatory note so that they can have their photograph taken by the professional photographers covering the event. These students will receive their actual diplomas as they cross the stage on July 30^th. Families and students are encouraged to discuss their preferences, and students will be asked when they would like to receive their diploma when picking up their graduation attire on this Wednesday (House 1), Thursday (House 2), and Friday (House 3).

While this two-phased approach does not match exactly the options presented in our original plan, it both meets the spirit of that plan and acknowledges the changed situation that the recent state guidance has created. In deciding on this approach, I have been informed in part by the comments and suggestions offered by both seniors and their parents. I have heard the desire of some to have an event using some traditional aspects of high school graduations. I have heard from elected student representatives, who have indicated that they value gathering together as a class very highly, even more than having an audience present, if necessary. I have heard from students and families whose other responsibilities will make a graduation held later in the summer impossible for them to attend. Finally, I have also heard from a number of BHS families who are facing significant health challenges and will likely not be able to participate in any ceremony that involves a large gathering.

This plan is not perfect; no plan could be, other than one that called for the traditional graduation that we all would prefer. What it does do, however, is allow all seniors to participate, regardless of how they have been affected by the current public health crisis; it allows families to take part in celebrating their graduates, even if this is done in a non-traditional way; and it allows the community at large, which has already shown an incredible amount of support for the Class of 2020, to participate in celebrating their accomplishment.

Further information about each of these celebrations will be distributed to students and families as it becomes available, but below are some key details of each.

Saturday, June 13^th Parade-style Graduation and Diploma Distribution:

· speeches and musical performances pre-recorded and aired on Friday night

· graduates ride in cars with immediate family; encouraged to wear caps and gowns and decorate their cars

· cars form up in the RMV lot, entering from Mahar Highway, starting at 8:30 a.m.

· procession begins at 9:00 a.m. with police escort

· graduates proceed through South Braintree Square and past Town Hall for congratulations by Town officials

· graduates proceed into BHS via the access road, passing faculty members along the way

· graduates pass the back of the school, congratulated by school and district officials

· graduates then proceed to three different stations, by house, to receive diplomas, congratulations from administrators, and have their photo taken

Thursday, July 30^th Traditional-style Graduation and Diploma Distribution:

· students will be required in early July to RSVP for this celebration, so that BHS may plan based on an accurate count of who will attend

· final details of the event (including the possibility of a live audience) will be determined after registration is complete and will be dependent on a number of factors, including how many graduates choose to attend

· celebration will take place in the evening

· students may wear graduation attire to the ceremony

· student speakers (valedictorian, salutatorian, class president, and student council president) will deliver remarks to the class

· all students attending the ceremony will have their names read and then walk across the stage to receive their diploma

· since the celebration cannot be held indoors, the rain date will be July 31^st

· the ceremony will follow DESE/DPH protocols, such as the following:

--all participants will wear masks

--students will sit socially distanced on the football field, facing a raised stage

--it may not be possible to accommodate a live audience

--administrators will read graduate names, but graduates will use a tassel salute on the stage instead of receiving a diplomas

--social distancing rules will preclude hugging and handshaking

As we have all seen, the facts of our current situation can change rapidly, and the BHS administration will adapt the celebration scheduled for July 30^th based on any further guidance provided by state or local agencies. If social distancing rules are eased, it may allow for a limited audience to be present. If the situation worsens and rules are tightened, it may prove impossible to hold a gathering of any sort on July 30^th; in this case, the celebration will not be rescheduled.

This spring has been a trying time for many in our community, as uncertainty, job loss, illness, and in some cases death have affected many Braintree families. Braintree High School stands with our families, and hopes that the celebrations described above will allow us to properly acknowledge our seniors and their accomplishments while allowing all of us to stay safe and to do our part to help everyone through this crisis.

We will share further details about the first phase of our graduation ceremony, scheduled for June 13^th, in the coming days.

Chris Scully

BHS Headmaster