‘Show you how loved you are:” Clover High to hold drive-in graduation ceremony
Clover seniors will get their graduation ceremony after all. Just not in the traditional sense.
Clover High School’s 2020 graduation ceremony is June 4 at Hound’s Drive-In Theatre, 114 Raven Cir. in Kings Mountain, N.C.
In the event of severe weather, the ceremony will be moved to June 9.
The school’s principal Rod Ruth shared graduation instructions in a video message to students posted to YouTube.
“I cannot express how much I would like to be addressing a room full of seniors right now, all excited about putting the finishing touches on their last semester of high school,” Ruth said in the message. “I miss you.”
Graduations are one of multiple milestones impacted for 2020 high school seniors due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Schools are closed for the remainder of the academic year and communities are finding creative ways to mark seniors’ accomplishments.
“We want to see you make that final walk as Blue Eagles,” Ruth said in the message.
The ceremony at the drive-in will require students to come in their family vehicle and remain in the car while they wait for their turn to be recognized, according to the message.
Graduation practice is June 1 at the drive-in. Details will be shared with students in the coming weeks.
A video message will open the ceremony with prerecorded speeches, the National Anthem and the presentation of colors. Students involved in the opening portion will receive instructions for recording their part.
Ruth described the plan as a way for “a traditional graduation to take place in an nontraditional way.”
“This ceremony will be an opportunity to show you how loved you are,” he said in the message. “Our intent is to make this a very special night for our seniors.”
Things to remember:
- Gates will open at 7 p.m. and close at 8 p.m. Parking attendants will direct drivers to their space.
- The ceremony is limited to one car per graduate.
- Students must remain in their car until their name is called. Students will meet staff members at predetermined posts, keeping a distance of eight feet from others. Students will cross the stage to receive their diploma.
- Staff, including Ruth and school administration will be on stage with students. Students will not shake hands with them. After getting their diploma, students will return to their vehicle.
- All seniors will stand in front of their cars and be recognized as a group at the end of the ceremony. No one should leave before the ceremony is dismissed.
Noise makers are not permitted and families are asked to keep noise to a minimum while students’ names are called.
- Families must remain in their car for the duration of the ceremony. Guests cannot sit in truck beds or in chairs outside of their car.
- Photos cannot be taken on site following the ceremony.
- Families will receive electronic programs for the ceremony.
- Oversize vehicles, such as limousines or party buses, are not allowed.
Tennis shoes are allowed for graduates. Heels and wedges are discouraged.
“My hope is that this is a step in the direction of shifting our outlook from one focused on the things we’ve lost to the unique things we’ve gained,” Ruth said in the message.
“There will never be a class like the Class of 2020. Not at Clover High School, not in South Carolina and for that matter not on the planet,” he said. “This class was special before this situation and this situation doesn’t change that.”
