GHS seniors to graduate together next Friday

COVID-19 safety precautions to be in place

By Alexandra Cannon Special to the Journal

In a special meeting on Monday, May 11, Groesbeck ISD Board Members worked through several necessary details to plan and confirm a semi-normal outdoor graduation ceremony for GHS seniors on Friday, May 22, despite the many hurdles presented by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

In the ZOOM videoconference meeting, Superintendent Dr. James Cowley explained that per the executive order by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Limestone County must remain at five or fewer active COVID-19 cases (confirmed in a laboratory) in order to hold the university style graduation ceremony. The number of cases must be five or fewer seven days before the ceremony is set to take place in order to meet the Texas Administration Agency (TEA) regulations.

The administration offered multiple proposals for seating and procedures within the ceremony with the common goal of preventing possible spread of the virus, while still honoring graduates in a semblance of the traditional format: Seniors receiving their diplomas on the field at Goat Stadium with loved ones looking on from the bleachers.

After much discussion, troubleshooting and guidance on safe health practices, the board agreed upon the following parameters for the ceremony:

Seniors will be seated on the field, with chairs spaced to meet social distancing guidelines.

Two parents or family members for each graduating senior will be also seated on the field, with chairs spaced to meet social distancing guidelines.

The diploma and diploma cover for each senior will be in the seat of one of their family members, and they will present the diploma to their senior during the ceremony (to limit potential exposure of the virus between GISD staff and students).

Each senior will be given four tickets for the graduation ceremony (aside from the two allotted parent/family member seats on the field) to distribute to family members. These seats will be grouped together and assigned a section in seat groups on the Home side at random, with all seating arrangements to have scheduled times for arrival and staggered dismissal to maintain safe social distancing.

ALL attendees of the graduation ceremony will be required to complete a health screening/survey before being granted admittance to the event.

Seniors and GISD staff will be required to wear provided face masks. Parents and other guests are encouraged, but not required, to wear face masks for the ceremony.

Many other details were also discussed at length surrounding parking, security, sanitization of stands and guardrails, monitoring of bathrooms, seating for handicapped guests, and more. In the event of a rain-out on the scheduled day for the ceremony, graduation would take place the following day, Saturday, May 23, or the following week on Friday, May 29, or Saturday, May 30; the soonest possible Friday or Saturday without rain. Should the number of confirmed active cases of Coronavirus in Limestone County exceed five on any day leading up to the ceremony, it will be postponed to May 29; the number of active cases must decline back into the acceptable threshold of five or fewer for the ceremony to take place.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., though staging and seating will begin more than an hour before. Cowley stated that he expects the ceremony to last between two and three hours. He also noted that the district was prepared and planning to broadcast the ceremony online, so that community members and family who were not able or invited to attend could still witness the ceremony from the safety of their homes.

“We know we can’t please everyone with these graduation plans, and some people will be upset that they can’t attend or choose their seats, but we are doing our best to make sure our students have a somewhat normal graduation experience despite everything going on,” said Cowley. “Doing it this way, at least seniors will be able to have some family members there and we can avoid a drivethrough diploma pick up or a ceremony with no guests at all.”

GHS Principal Dr. Bonnie Bomar explained that seniors will be required to pick up a packet with detailed instructions for the ceremony and parking, information for parents, a link to a rehearsal video, graduation accouterments such as cords, stoles, medals, etc., and academic blankets (for students who met requirements to receive them) prior to the ceremony. Upon questioning by board president Tom Sutton, Bomar expressed that campus leaders were still working to figure out how seniors could receive awards and honors usually presented in ceremonies such as the Scholarship Assembly and Baccalaureate, which have been cancelled since schools are closed.

Bomar also shared a request by seniors that during the graduation ceremony, a seat be left open for their classmate Remington Masters, who passed away after his fight with cancer in 2019. The board readily granted this request and unanimously agreed to invite his parents to participate in the ceremony, wherein Masters would be provided with an honorary diploma. In other business, the board

In other business, the board approved a TEA instructional materials information waiver and the consent agenda. The board also voted to hire Michael Masters for the H.O. Whitehurst nurse position at the recommendation of Cowley before adjourning at 7:32 p.m.

The next school board meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 18 at 6 p.m. via ZOOM correspondence.

For more detailed information about the upcoming Groesbeck High School Graduation Ceremony, such as where you can stream the event online, visit the GISD website at www. groesbeckisd.net .

School may have been out of session for the past two months, but graduation will take place, May 22 with social distancing precautions at 8 p.m. at Groesbeck Stadium.

The Groesbeck Journal is honoring all seniors with our annual graduation section to be published May 28.

This section will be packed full with the senior photos, honor graduates, congratulatory wishes and more. Everyone is invited to take part in the special. See related ad inside for information.