NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Public Schools announced Wednesday that it was planning to air virtual graduation ceremonies for 2020 high school seniors on June 8 and 9, with a possible in-person ceremony planned for August, if health guidelines permitted.
The city's release said the virtual celebrations will be available on the same day each school's graduation had been initially scheduled. There will be a slideshow featuring each senior, and the ceremonies will also have music and pre-recorded speeches.
Students can livestream those ceremonies from the Norfolk Public Schools YouTube page, or channel 47 on television.
Schools will also allow students and families to pick up diplomas, and pose for cap and gown photos, at their high schools on June 11 and 12.
The school system wrote that it wants to hold in-person graduation ceremonies for seniors on August 3 and 4 in the Chartway Arena, but they could only happen if health guidelines say the ceremony can go forward. Attendance at these ceremonies would be limited to enforce social distancing.
Dr. Sharon Byrdsong, the city school superintendent, wrote in the release that the school system was especially proud of this year's graduates.
“I admire your flexibility and resiliency as we navigate this uncertain time together," Byrdsong wrote. "In a few weeks, you will be noted by historians as the graduates of the Class of 2020 who despite a pandemic, successfully fulfilled their academic requirements and learned invaluable lessons in so doing.”
