By Beacon Staff
Unlike the graduating classes that went before them, the seniors of 2020 were robbed of their graduation glory by a worldwide pandemic.
That’s life, and the seniors get it. Safety comes first, and once school was canceled for the rest of the year, they figured traditional graduation ceremonies might be delayed or canceled. However, they didn’t expect to be handed their diplomas while dropping off their school laptops.
Twin siblings Spencer and Sidney Ellsworth, both 18, didn’t realize they had received their diplomas until their mother, Mary Hofmann, discovered them with other paperwork they had picked up from the school last week.
“It was kind of lame,” Spencer said.
Their mother had a stronger reaction.
“I missed their big moment,” she said. “I wish the principal could have handed them their diplomas.”
The twins’ stepbrother, Brandon Hofmann, also a 2020 graduate, felt just as deflated. BHS has a virtual commencement planned for May 31, as well as some form of an in-person ceremony in July. The district announced the plans on the school Facebook page Tuesday, May 19.
Brandon recently joined the Iowa Army National Guard, and ships out at the end of the summer for basic training. He and his two siblings will still get to attend prom in late June, as well as the proposed July event if it happens.
“This (virtual commencement) is not intended to replace a formal ceremony but rather to provide each student recognition on that date since, under current circumstances, schools are unable to hold their traditional ceremonies. BCSD is still hopeful that a ceremony at Bracewell Stadium can be held in July if restrictions are lifted. A specific date has not yet been selected due to a high level of uncertainty,” reads the BHS Facebook page.
Mary Hofmann has been in constant contact with other parents and the school board, trying to come up with a plan. Drive-through graduations, personal visits from the principal, and staggered commencements that limit the number of people in the building at the same time are just a few options.
“There are ways to do it,” she said.
BHS is also planning to festoon the school grounds with yard signs featuring photos of the graduating seniors.
The contrast between BHS’s plans and West Burlington High School is as stark as the divide that runs down the Hofmann family’s street — at least in the amount of detail provided. Located on the edge of West Burlington, one side of the street falls under West Burlington jurisdiction. The Hofmans fall on the Burlington side of the narrow lane.
West Burlington’s first graduation option has been set for June 20. If that doesn’t work, a postponement date has been set for July 25. A virtual commencement will be held in August if that falls through.
“We believe that holding an in-person ceremony is very important to our school community and we will strive to make that happen, even if in a limited (restricted) guest capacity,” West Burlington High School Principal Bruce Snodgrass said in a letter sent to parents and students.
Every school is handling graduation differently. Notre Dame, which has a small graduating class, is recognizing seniors at a 10:30 a.m. Baccalaureate Mass this Sunday, May 24, online. Each senior also has recorded personal videos that have been airing on Notre Dame school’s Facebook page.
Mediapolis is planning on having an in-person graduation ceremony at 10 a.m. on July 11. Danville High School has yet to publicly announce their plans.
Burlington’s virtual graduation ceremony will be live-streamed and broadcast on the district’s Mediacom channel. The ceremony will consist of videos from speakers, recordings of previous music performances, and slides of students.
Each student will be allotted two slides, a formal one containing their picture and a list of their accomplishments and extracurricular activities, and an informal one displaying a collage of senior-submitted photos.
Life moves fast for a teenager. The three siblings are bored and cooped-up, their social contact limited to their workplaces. All three are essential workers in Burlington, and that weighs heavy on Hofmann’s mind.
She wants them to have some kind of social release that emulates that final walk as a high school student. A chance for recognition, and a chance for the 2020 seniors to bid farewell to their classmates.
“We’ll have a party here,” she said, noting that all safety precautions would be followed.
Photo by Anthony Dewitt
Spencer Ellsworth, left, his twin sister Sidney Ellsworth, in the middle, and their stepbrother Brandon Hofmann, right, are shown in their caps and gowns.
Area high schools are handing graduation differently due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, and seniors have been forced to cope with being honored in a less traditional way.