UPDATE: YHS Principal Melissa Barlow reported on May 1 that the Class of 2020 will have 611 members.
By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
An estimated 550 Yukon High School seniors will participate in a “virtual” graduation next month.
YHS officials have released details of their Virtual Commencement Plan to senior students and their families.
Annual commencement exercises at the State Fair Park Arena in Oklahoma City have been canceled due to social distancing regulations and crowd restrictions prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Seniors will be making their own slides to be presented during our virtual ceremony, which will be made available on May 19,” YHS Principal Melissa Barlow said. “The graduates are adding pictures to their virtual slides and may include a picture with cap and gown. They will not actually be walking across the stage.”
The traditional YHS commencement ceremony – where seniors cross the State Fair Arena stage to accepted their diplomas in front of family, friends and classmates – is one of Barlow’s favorite activities.
“I’ll miss it,” she said.
Instead, Yukon students, family members and other school patrons will be able to view the virtual commencement ceremony May 19 on Yukon Public Schools’ Facebook page.
Although the graduation list has not yet been finalized, Barlow said about 550 seniors will comprise the YHS Class of 2020.
The last day of the 2019-20 school year is Friday, May 8, providing an early start to the summer break for all students.
YPS school sites have been closed for more than a month after Gov. Stitt’s emergency disaster declaration because of concerns about the coronavirus spreading. Students, staff and the public are not allowed in school buildings until further notice.
YPS officials on April 6 released a “distance learning plan consisting of grade-specific online resources to maximize opportunities for our students and paper packets for those without Internet access”, according to the district’s website.
Final grades will be posted at www.yukonps.com.
