Members of the Bowling Green High School Class of 2020 received the following message from high school principal Scott Mullins regarding setting a tentative graduation date of June 5th.
Dear BGR1 seniors and families,
The announcement by Governor Mike Parson on Monday relaxing some state restrictions has allowed our administration to set a tentative date for a traditional graduation on June 5. This date was picked based on recommendations from the Pike County Health Department but was tempered by the knowledge that there has been some recent community spread of the Covid 19 virus in our county. Continued social distancing guidelines means that the graduates will most likely receive only a very limited number of tickets for guests. That number may be as low as two. The June 5 date is still very fluid and conditional on our county’s health situation, but we felt it was prudent to set a date in order to give families ample time to prepare. BGHS will attempt to live stream the graduation for people unable to attend the event in person. If the June 5 date cannot happen, we will attempt to reschedule it later in the summer.
BGHS will continue plans to prerecord a virtual version of the graduation over the course of the next two weeks. This is important because we have seniors leaving for military service. Even by changing graduation to June 5 not all graduates will be able to attend; we respect these students’ choice to defend our nation and will try to create a memory through the prerecorded video. The video will also serve as a safeguard in case our county’s health situation deteriorates and attempts to reschedule the graduation fail.
On May 4 from 5:00-7:00, seniors will pick up their caps and gowns, turn in any remaining homework and textbooks, collect items from their lockers and gym lockers, receive a senior yard sign, and drive through the “parking lot parade.” It will be a chance for our faculty to wave and honk from their cars to say farewell to our seniors. Parents may attend the parking lot parade, but please use onlyone car per family, and you MUST remain in a vehicle. Seniors will also be asked to schedule a time to be videoed walking across the graduation stage in their caps and gowns for the prerecorded graduation video. These time slots will be at five minute intervals on May 5th from 8:00-12:00, May 6th from 1:00-5:00, and May 7th from 10:00-2:00. Please call the high school office to reserve at time slot. Make sure you wear nice pants or a dress. Guys, wear a collared shirt and tie. No tennis shoes. Liz O’Farrell has volunteered to take a photo of your graduate on the stage. Kim Luebrecht will be splicing the videos together with other elements of a typical graduation. BGHS plans to provide the picture and the video to seniors free of charge. We have decided to ask that only the graduates enter the school for the video and photograph, otherwise we will be exposing our staff and volunteers to literally hundreds of people. If you need someone to fix your hair or garments, please have them remain in the parking lot. Any community spread of the virus related to school during May might jeopardize our chances of holding the rescheduled gradation in June.