LONGVIEW, Texas — Many college students and high schoolers alike are able to have the in person graduations/ceremonies that weren’t possible at the beginning of the pandemic.
“I finished school finally!" said Longview High graduating senior Aracely Briseno. She got her diploma along with 100 of her classmates who all opted for a smaller and more socially distant graduation.
Longview High Principal James Brewer said, “What we tried to do due to COVID-19, was make sure that the parents who still didn’t feel safe coming to the school and being in a large crowd, had the opportunity to come individually to perform their graduation ceremonies with the same kind of dignity and respect that you get at a graduation.”
There will be about 500 graduates crossing the stage at Lobo Stadium on Saturday, so these students are getting a major head start and avoiding the long lines. Grads enter the coliseum just as they would if they were waiting to cross the stage. Then, they receive their diploma, turn their tassels and meet their loved ones waiting for photos.
Seniors like Dominic Lyons were grateful for this flexibility.
“I just didn’t want to risk having my family there with a lot of people because we don’t know what everybody else has going on,” he said.
The class of 2020 graduated the same way last year. Principal Brewer says they’ll keep offering this alternate graduation so long as the parents still want it. Longview ISD hasn’t placed a limit on the number of guests who can attend the smaller or traditional graduation ceremony. However… students can only choose one to participate in.