Verona High School held a virtual graduation for the Class of 2020 on June 19. The state’s relaxation of rules against large gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed the district to also hold an in-person graduation on the lower field today, Wednesday, July 8, at 9 a.m., which you can watch in the video window below.
Participation in this graduation was voluntary and is limited to students only. Just over half the class, 100 students, will be participating.
At the end of June, the district asked seniors to fill out a survey indicating their interest in an in-person ceremony. Students were then assigned a number in the graduation processional and those numbers were chalked on the pavement on Sampson Drive, six feet apart, to identify where students would line up. Students were asked to arrive in cap and gown by 7:45 a.m. this morning to line up for the processional and Sampson is closed to all other traffic, both cars and pedestrians.
To participate, students also needed to fill out a COVID-19 pre-screening questionnaire, which asked whether students had had COVID-19, had symptoms of it, or had travelled outside New Jersey, both internationally and to any of the states that have shown spikes in virus cases. The district said in an email that any student who did not pass the questionnaire would not be allowed to participate, and there will be a temperature screening this morning as well. Students must wear a face mask at all times that fully covers their nose and mouth.
You can watch the ceremony here, beginning at 9 a.m. UPDATE: We have uploaded a video of the ceremony with better audio quality to MyVeronaNJ.com’s YouTube page.
