Years of effort culminate to a single moment. Friends and family cheer, gifts are given, caps are thrown and, finally, high school seniors receive their diplomas. By now we know the Class of 2020 is unable to experience a traditional graduation ceremony, but that doesn’t mean they have been forgotten.
This week, May 11-15, KSL NewsRadio will highlight seniors throughout the state, and communities taking a unique approach to this anticipated celebration. Airing daily at 7:45 AM and 5:45 PM.
This month, the Class of 2020 should be picking up caps and gowns, taking pictures and signing yearbooks. They should be promising to stay in touch as they set off for work, college or the unknown.
Instead, their schools are working on new, different ways to celebrate graduating seniors stuck at home during a pandemic.
Sarah Glauser’s family is no stranger to tragedy. Her 5-year-old nephew was hit and killed earlier this year while riding his bike.
While everyone was still trying to deal with the young boy’s death, the family decided to hold a prom for Sarah. Her 8-year-old nephew James, who had lost his brother, was the one who asked his aunt to the prom.
Erin Estheimer has never missed a soccer game or even a team practice at Clearfield High School. She’s also got great grades and is going to Central Wyoming College on a full scholarship this fall. It’s incredibly impressive because she did all this while her mother was battling terminal cancer.
Her mother, Trish, had been given six months to live and did not think she’d ever see her daughter graduate.
Paige Kennedy is graduating with a 3.9 GPA and plenty of honors. She will attend Southern Utah University on a full scholarship and plans on studying chemistry, but it took more than just brains to get to the top of the class. Paige has dealt with major anxiety for years.
“Initially I wanted to join the Navy. I wanted to try and be a Navy SEAL, but then I made the mistake of sitting down with a Marine recruiter and now I’m joining the cult,” Falkner jokes.
But in all seriousness, he feels like he made the right decision.