This post was published on 07/17/2020.
Land O’ Lakes, FL – (July 17, 2020) – The long-awaited in-person graduations celebrating Pasco County Schools’ Class of 2020 start this evening, with three outdoor graduations planned in high school stadiums.
At each ceremony, the graduates will be allowed to bring two guests, and each grouping of three (graduate and two guests) will be seated together on the field at a safe distance from other graduates and their guests. The plan makes it possible for graduating seniors to experience the ceremony surrounded by classmates and family, and to be individually recognized while receiving their diploma.
After the regularly scheduled graduations in June were cancelled due to health and safety concerns, graduates were honored with a virtual graduation in June on the same date and time that their graduation would have occurred. The virtual ceremonies included prerecorded speeches by their principals and selected classmates. After a rendition of Pomp and Circumstance recorded individually on Zoom by musicians from around the school district, the graduates were individually honored. Their pictures were shown as their names were called.
In an effort to also provide an in-person graduation, the school district rescheduled graduations at the Yuengling Center at a later date in August. However, due to health and safety concerns, the Yuengling Center is unable to accommodate those events. The alternative is a series of in-person graduation ceremonies scheduled from July 17 through July 31, with most of the ceremonies taking place outdoors in the schools’ stadiums.
If any members of the media wish to attend a graduation, they will be asked to wear a mask and exercise safe social distancing.
The new graduation dates and times are listed below.