The school year is wrapping up at Danville High School, and both faculty and students are preparing for a unique graduation ceremony to close out the year.
For its 150th graduating class, District 118 is breaking from its usual tradition of being indoors at the David S. Palmer Arena and will hold an outdoor ceremony at the high school football field on Saturday, June 5. Principal Tracy Cherry tells WDAN’s Linda Bolton that a special committee has been working on the details since the fall. It is also a good option due to COVID-19.
“It was also the safest way for us to ensure that we would be able to have a traditional graduation in lieu of all the mandates and protocols that we were having to follow,” she says.
Cherry says that the class of 2020 went through a lot by having their senior year cut off in mid-March, but she says this year’s class might have had it even harder.
“They really had to endure a tremendous amount with not being in the building and not being able to have sports until late spring, and having many of their dreams and goals cut short because of the pandemic, but they never gave up,” she explains. “They just continued to persevere through it.”
Past Danville High School graduates are invited to share brief video clips up to 30 seconds long. They can be sent to Athletic Director Mark Bacys via email at bacysm@danville118.org.
