This Sunday afternoon, Mathews High School seniors will don their caps and gowns to receive their diplomas.
Beginning Monday, June 15, Gloucester High School students will be doing the same.
But don’t expect big gatherings of family, friends and other well-wishers at either event. Familiar scenes, such as teachers embracing their former students, just won’t be happening this time around. Face masks and hand sanitizer will replace Pomp and Circumstance. Welcome to the Class of COVID-19.
Graduation should be a happy occasion, a time to celebrate accomplishments and talk about exciting futures on the horizon. However, the coronavirus has cast a dark pall over the whole affair.
The seniors were robbed of their last months of high school memories—of going to senior prom, of getting their friends to sign their yearbooks, of getting a chance to tell their favorite teachers just how much they meant to them. Many senior athletes lost their last chance to be a part of a competitive sports team. ...