Parade, ‘drive-in’ style ceremony set for June 5
The Liberty Bell High School and Independent Learning Center class of 2020 will have a graduation ceremony on June 5, the Methow Valley School District announced — and it won’t be “virtual.”
According to the school district’s website, the ceremony will include two segments:
• Replacing the usual cap-and-gown opening procession in the high school gym, there will be an automotive parade instead. After staging from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m., the parade will begin at 4:30 p.m. from the Hank’s Harvest Foods parking lot in Twisp, travel down Glover Street, follow Highway 20 north, loop through downtown Winthrop, then proceed along Twin Lakes Road to the high school.
Parade permits will be issued to graduates and immediate family members only, the school district said. “While community members will not be issued permits to participate in the procession, they are strongly encouraged to join us along the parade route (while adhering to current social distancing recommendations) to celebrate our graduates,” the district said.
• At the school, there will be a “drive-in movie-theater style graduation” ceremony starting at 6:30 p.m., the district said. Families will be allowed one car per graduate, for immediate family members only (exceptions made on a case-by-case basis, the district said).
Vehicles will be parked in rows facing a stage at the high school entrance. Attendees will be asked to remain in their cars as graduates exit their vehicles to receive diplomas as their names are announced, the district said.
“While we realize this is a shift in practice and tradition, our intention is that our seniors and their families will be honored in a way that is celebratory, unique, and safe,” the district said.
The district said it deliberated possible graduation scenarios in consultation with staff, students, parents, school board members, law enforcement officials, community members and the state Superintendent of Public Instruction’s office.
The school’s buildings have been closed since March 17, per Gov. Jay Inslee’s directive.
