Outdoor graduation ceremonies set for June 27, 28 in Bellmore-Merrick

The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District was forced to shut down schools and shift to remote learning in March, raising questions as to how the final chapter of the class of 2020’s high school career would be celebrated. Recently, administrators announced that each high school would hold outdoor graduation ceremonies on June 27 and 28.

The district comprises three high schools, John F. Kennedy, Wellington C. Mepham and Sanford H. Calhoun.

High school principals informed graduating seniors and their families about the plan via email on June 8, a day after Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that outdoor ceremonies of up to 150 people would be permitted in New York.

“Although we recently announced our plans to hold a walk-thru graduation event, we feel that a slight adjustment is in order to provide our families with a more memorable commencement,” Kennedy Principal Gerard Owenburg wrote.

Each high school will host six ceremonies between June 27 and 28, with approximately 50 students attending each. Ceremonies will be broken up alphabetically based on the students’ last names.

Graduates will be permitted to invite up to two guests, who will walk through campus with them and onto the field, where they will sit in predetermined, socially distanced seating. Masks will be mandatory throughout the ceremony, with the exception of when photos are being taken.

Principals view the ceremony as an opportunity to provide students with a meaningful ending to their high school careers under unusual circumstances.

“We hope that the plans we have for this year's class help them to have a lasting memory of such an important milestone of their lives,” said Calhoun Principal Nicole Hollings.

“It’s definitely different and requires a lot more planning,” said Mepham Principal Eric Gomez. “This class has obviously gone through something that nobody else has gone through, and we want to make sure they have a positive ending to their school year.”

The valedictorian, salutatorian and class president from each school will present a speech in front of their class, but there will be no guest speakers or choir performances in order to keep the ceremonies brief for attendants, who will be masked and seated in the summer heat. At Mepham’s graduations, the school’s poet laureate will also have a chance to speak.

After speeches, seniors will be called to walk across a platform, receive their diploma sleeve and get photographed. Each school will have their own version of a “walk-thru,” where students will have an opportunity to take pictures and walk the halls as students one last time. Following the ceremony, graduates will take home their senior portrait lawn signs as a gift.

The ceremonies will be streamed live by Bellmore-Merrick Broadcasting for other family members and friends to view, and each school will receive an edited video combining all six graduations into one seamless ceremony.

Calhoun senior Skylar Ransom expressed her gratitude to the district for working hard to give seniors the opportunity to celebrate their accomplishment.

“I’m so happy to hear we have a plan,” said Ransom, 17, of Merrick. “Graduation isn’t something you can ju st forget — it’s the last event that will finish the final chapter of your high school career. Not only is it important to the hardworking students, but to parents, grandparents and beyond.”

The district “is giving us the best graduation experience possible during a pandemic,” said Kennedy senior Ali Shapiro, of Merrick.

Mepham senior Jillian Mayer, of Bellmore, said she’s disappointed that she will only be graduating with one sixth of her classmates, but understands the district's position. “I hope that the school district can have a more formal graduation for us later in the summer so that we can all be together before we leave for college,” she said.

District Superintendent John DeTommaso said that holding a complete graduation for each school was not out of the realm of possibility. “We wanted to do something meaningful and memorable for our seniors now, but the goal later on is ideally to graduate the entire class together,” he said. “If more restrictions on graduations are lifted later in the summer, the district could consider giving the graduating seniors a more traditional send off.”

DeTommaso used the words “grit” and “resilience” to describe this year’s senior class. He noted that students have reacted remarkably well to the challenging tests life has thrown at them outside of the classroom. “They have lost so much but learned to overcome obstacles and do things differently yet effectively,” he said.

As the graduating seniors leap into the unknown, DeTommaso said the district’s ceremonies would serve as a testament to their strength and perseverance.