Written by: Jarad Johnson
Graduation is best celebrated with your group of friends and family. So, when COVID-19 made getting together challenging, a little creativity went a long way. The class of 2020 celebrated their final year at D’Evelyn Jr./Sr. High School in a unique way: a car parade, along the roads stretching around D’Evelyn. Students adorned their cars with balloons, party streamers and paint. The seniors, who would have been celebrating in senior spirit week a month before, shared waves, smiles and air high-fives after over two months apart. The senior parade was put together by D’Evelyn’s Student Council and Administration, following Jeffco Public School’s announcement in April that graduation ceremonies would be postponed. “I think we all felt pretty discouraged at first and a little bit robbed,” said Holly McCollough, Student Council President. “D’Evelyn is a pretty hard school, so not being able to celebrate in those last two months with your friends through senior traditions and finishing that up with a graduation ceremony downtown was a little discouraging.” But the academic rigors of D’Evelyn prepared the seniors well when faced with a challenge. “As a D’Evelyn community, we are so much stronger and we can make the best of the situation, even if that means having five tests the next day,” McCollough said. “The parade was pretty symbolic of the unity we had as a community despite the coronavirus and the state of the pandemic.” Fortunately, McCollough said, the seniors had just finished putting together a group chat with most students. And without having to plan several small events like senior spirit days, the class could focus all their energy into one big event. “I think over the past month, me and a lot of other people came to terms with it. That’s why we wanted to plan the parade, to try to make the best of things and start something new that in the past we wouldn’t have had time or the resources to plan,” McCollough said. Working with the Administration and the D’Evelyn Education Foundation, a proposal to the district was given for the parade. McCollough said they were unsure how the district would handle the request, but felt seniors needed to celebrate some way, so a plan B and plan C were also made. Fortunately, the district approved plan A. Jeffco Public Schools plans to hold more traditional graduation ceremonies with social distancing in August. D'Evelyn’s is currently planned for Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. at Jeffco Stadium. Comments are closed.
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