By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–It certainly will not be a “traditional” graduation ceremony for the Union City High School Class of 2020. Every effort is being made, however, to give the group of 91 students a fond and memorable farewell.
UC Schools administration and personnel have worked diligently on plans to honor this year’s graduating class on time while also adhering to social distancing guidelines and other policy and safety procedures during the current unprecedented coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the widespread chaos and uncertainty that has radically altered the annual end-of-school schedules at many other schools, UCHS seniors will graduate as originally scheduled – May 16 at 8 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium. Gates will open at 7 p.m., and in case of rain or inclement weather, the event will be pushed back to the next day.
This year’s ceremonies will have a handful of alterations from past celebrations, though, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
And Union City High School Principal Jacob Cross is counting on things going off as smoothly as possible.
“It’s always a delicate balance when you try to combine some aspects of the past while also adjusting to some things of the present,” Cross said. “We’ve had many meetings and spent countless hours preparing while trying to be sensitive to the concerns and wishes of both our students and their families.
“It might not be the perfect plan, but we believe it is a really good one that will allow us to pay tribute and honor our seniors while also letting those closest to them be a part of the celebration. With the help of modern technology, social media and many people who have been willing to go the extra mile, I do believe it’s going to be a really good experience for all involved in these unprecedented times.”
Cross and UC Director of Schools Wes Kennedy have collaborated on the logistics of a plan that will put both the graduates and their chosen guests seated on the football field in an effort to safely protect all involved.
- An elevated 16-by-24 stage has been rented and will be set up in the south endzone, with UCHS as the backdrop. The 89 graduates who’ve elected to participate in the annual walk will sit facing the stage in specially marked chairs with the Top 10 taking up the front row — spaced six feet apart. The remaining graduates will be seated alphabetically, again with proper distancing individually, and by row. Family members of graduates will sit in several rows behind the Class of 2020.
- Each graduate will receive six tickets for their respective families. These tickets will have the graduates’ names on them and will be numbered. On graduation night, there will be six chairs arranged for each graduate’s family. Each block of six chairs will be distanced six feet apart. For safety reasons, chairs will not be allowed to be moved. Those given a ticket by a particular graduate will be required to sit in the block of seats designated for their family. A seating chart will be provided to each graduate and all blocks of chairs will be labeled.
- The event will be broadcast via Facebook Live on tornadotouch.net.
- Graduates will report to War Memorial Stadium Monday (May 11) at 2 p.m. for both practice/walk-through and to receive their caps, gowns and other graduation supplies. Part of the practice has been set aside for specific social distancing explanation, and the session is expected to take about an hour or so, according to Cross.
On an unrelated note, the UCHS principal will be announcing several awards Friday, via several social media platforms, including the school’s website and Facebook accounts. Included among those honors are the senior cumulative (all four years combined) Top 10, the academic Top 10 for the year for all four grades, scholarship recipients and announcement of this year’s valedictorian and salutatorian.