Class of 2020 gets their day in the sun
By Jerry W. Kram
What happened Sunday was cloaked in uncertainty for months. With the state-mandated school shutdowns and measure to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, no one knew if the Class of 2020 would get their day to celebrate all they have accomplished.
But Sunday on Memorial Day weekend, when we remember those who fought for the freedom of this country, some great new memories were made in the gymnasium of the new Parshall High School.
Ten graduates, each six feet apart, sat along the north wall. Administrators and members of the school board sat six feet in front of them, all “socially distant” but close in their affection and admiration. The people of Parshall who normally come out in large numbers to support their students and school, were asked to stay away this year and largely they complied reluctantly. But each graduate had a row for family and those rows were boisterous in support of their graduate as their names were announced.
Some of the accommodations the school made to comply with pandemic related restrictions actually made the ceremony more meaningful and personal. Rather than have the superintendent present each student with a diploma and move the tassel on their cap from left to right, the diplomas were placed on the floor by the row of seats reserved for family members. It was a family member who handed each graduate the document stating “they have satisfied the requirements of the Parshall Board of Education and State of North Dakota” and turned the tassel.
