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OUR VIEW:

It was only a few weeks ago when the community was heartbroken for the senior class of 2020 and the harsh reality that COVID-19 stole their moment to walk across the stage and receive their high school diploma. This is the very moment every kid dreams of – the day they are no longer required to go to school and for all intents and purposes become an adult.

The COVID-19 crisis momentarily stripped them of those hopes, but just a week ago the sky opened up and Gov. Kay Ivey issued a Safer at Home order that paved the way for graduations to take place.

It did not take long for most schools to announce their plans, and to our delight, they were scheduled pretty quickly.

On Friday, Beulah will begin their ceremony with a parade that will start at Beulah Baptist Church and run the mile trek to Beulah Elementary School.

At the elementary school, there will be a stage for the student to walk across and receive their diploma. Students and their families will be allowed in the car.

At the elementary school, the student will hear their name called and cross the stage to receive their diploma before returning to their car.

Springwood’s graduation will be on Saturday, May 23, at 9 a.m. on its football field. Each graduate will get six tickets for immediate family only.

The ceremony will be closed to the public, but it will be streamed on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

The stage will be in the west end zone, while chairs for the graduates, their families and the Springwood faculty will follow behind in that order. All chairs will be 6 feet apart to follow social distancing guidelines.

Those in attendance are asked to wear masks.

Lanett will hold its graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 30 at 10 a.m. EST in Morgan-Washburn Stadium.

The stadium will be closed to the public, but there will be tickets available for family members.

The ceremony will be live-streamed for the general public to view.

LaFayette High School will hold its graduation ceremony on June 8 starting at 7 p.m. CT. It will be held in Bulldog stadium.

Valley High School will hold two separate graduation ceremonies. Both ceremonies will be on June 9 at Ram Stadium. The first ceremony will be at 5:30 p.m. EST. while the second will start at 8 p.m. EST.

Chambers Academy will hold its graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 18 at 7 p.m. CT in Tolbert Stadium. The date was voted on by students of the Chambers Academy 2020 senior class and their families.

The ceremony will be ticketed and seating will be solely on the home side of the stadium in order to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Graduation is an exciting time for all seniors and participating in some type of ceremony, even with the restrictions in place, will absolutely leave lasting memories.

On Saturday, the Valley Times-News will publish its annual graduation edition, and we are excited that we will be bringing this section back in full color.

Make sure to pick up your copies this Saturday. Congratulations to the entire class of 2020.