NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
Hermiston High School graduation is one for the history books
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
A global pandemic
made this year’s gradua-
tion unique, but Hermiston
High School seniors still
got to walk across a stage
to receive their diploma on
Thursday, June 4.
Most seniors said that
moment was the most
important part of graduation
anyway.
“I’m just looking for-
ward to getting my diploma
and walking across the
stage, even if it is different
than it normally would be,”
said Eliana Esparza.
Only 25 people were sup-
posed to be in the building at
a time, in keeping with the
state’s COVID-19 restric-
tions. To make it all work,
the school district choreo-
graphed an intricate system
that took fi ve minutes and
14 seconds to explain in a
video tutorial posted to You-
Tube the day before.
At 5:45 p.m., speak-
ers inside the building
began addressing the cam-
eras in the commons room
that were broadcasting the
speech live online.
Outside, family members
of the fi rst batch of grad-
uates stood in line two by
two, 6 feet apart, as if pre-
paring to board Noah’s Ark.
“Sixteen?” athletic direc-
tor Larry Usher yelled out
to the group. “Anyone have
tickets for number 16?”
He let a few more sets of
parents enter, then let every-
one within earshot know
that there were water bot-
tles in the giant cooler sit-
ting against the wall.
“Thank you for your
patience. It’s going to be
an interesting evening,” he
said.
“It’s been an interest-
ing school year!” a woman
called back.
On the other side of the
building, graduating seniors
in bright purple robes stood
in clumps, waiting for their
number to be called.
Students couldn’t hear
the speeches going on inside
as they waited to enter. Some
said they would watch them
online later at home; others
said they didn’t plan to.
Sydney Ellis said she
was sad she wouldn’t get to
enter with a walking part-
ner, as is traditional for
commencement
ceremo-
nies, but she was excited to
get her diploma.
It was an end to a diffi cult
semester, she said, when
everything fun about school
was canceled and “our con-
tinuing education was really
just homework every day.”
Nearby, Emma Flanagan
said there were upsides to
the unique ceremony.
“I like that we were able
to graduate in our own high
school like they used to
instead of going up to Wash-
ington,” she said.
To get through the long
list of graduates with only
a few people in the build-
ing at a time, seniors were
given two tickets for guests.
Flanagan said she chose her
father and her sister to wit-
ness the event in person,
while others could watch
online.
Inside, students walk
up to the stage one by one
over the course of more than
two hours and receive their
diploma from Principal Tom
Spoo as an announcer read
their name and honors they
had received.
After exiting and walk-
ing down the long purple
carpet stretching from the
main entrance of the school,
Blake Betz said his gradua-
tion was certainly different
than years past, but some-
times “you just have to roll
with it.” He said he was sad
his class missed out on a lot
of end-of-year traditions,
including, ironically, senior
skip day.
Joanna Balderas said she
wished more of her family
could have been there, but
she was happy to see a few
of her teachers again as they
helped out with the event.
“It was defi nitely not
normal, you could say, but
it was really exciting,” she
said of the entire graduation
experience.
The evening wrapped
up at 8:45 p.m. with clos-
ing remarks by Gregory
Anderson.
“Whatever you do, live
your life well, and remem-
ber that adventure is out
there. You just have to look
for it,” he told his class.
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Nazly Chavez Moncada delivers a welcome address in Spanish
during Hermiston High School’s commencement ceremony at
the school on Thursday, June 4, 2020.
Skylar Foreman walks out of Hermiston High School after
receiving his diploma during Hermiston High School’s
commencement ceremony at the high school on Thursday,
June 4, 2020.
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Jazmin Macias delivers the class history during Hermiston
High School’s commencement ceremony at the high school
on Thursday, June 4, 2020.
Cole Abbott waits, socially distanced from other graduates,
while waiting to cross the stage at Hermiston High School’s
commencement ceremony at the high school on Thursday,
June 4, 2020.
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Families stand and take pictures of their graduates during
Hermiston High School’s commencement ceremony at the
high school on Thursday, June 4, 2020.
Parents and families wait in line to watch their graduates cross
the stage during Hermiston High School’s commencement
ceremony at the high school on Thursday, June 4, 2020.
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electrónico: jfinch@co.morrow.or.us
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