05/07/2020
Osnaburg Local Schools has developed a graduation plan for the Class of 2020.
Graduation will be held in the front of the Foltz Stadium grand entrance on Saturday, May 23.
“We plan on having people stay in their cars and allowing the graduate to walk across the stage and then return to their vehicle,” stated high school Principal Gary Hinton. “We are doing everything we can to celebrate our Class of 2020. We're releasing special messages from staff members to our seniors, and we will hang a 24"x 36" banner of every senior's graduation composite photo throughout town.
“We will release a digital copy of our graduation ceremony. JM Sports Photography has worked with us to photograph all of our graduates as they walk across the stage and provide each of them with a professional photo of their day. We will put out a digital copy of our senior awards ceremony on Friday, May 22 at 11 a.m.”
Graduation Ceremony
1) Bus Garage Parking Lot
● Each graduate will be allowed two cars. Following Ohio Department of Health guidelines, passengers in
these cars should be from the same household.
● Graduates and families will arrive at Osnaburg Local Bus Garage at a designated time. All cars for each graduation group will be staged in this lot. Each graduation group will consist of six graduates.
• Upon arrival to the East Canton Bus Garage each car will receive a number and letter (Group 1 Car A
and Car B). Car A will be the car that is transporting the graduate. Graduates and their families are asked to stay inside their vehicle during the staging process.
• Drivers are asked to turn off their vehicle while waiting in the bus garage parking lot. This will allow for communication with the group while promoting social distancing.
2) Smith Gym Parking Lot
• After the cars are staged and ready at the bus garage lot they will move to the parking lot at Smith
Gym, where the speeches from the valedictorian and the guest speaker will be shown. The speeches will be broadcast via an FM transmitter so that graduates and their families can listen in the comfort of their vehicle.
3) Foltz Stadium Parking Lot
• After cars are finished in the Smith Gym lot they will move to the parking lot in front of Foltz Stadium. Traffic will be guided through the use of cones and some volunteers.
• There will be a cone in the front row marked Car A Group 1, Car A Group 2, etc. There will be a cone in the next double row marked Car B Group 1, Car B Group 2, etc. Park directly in front of the assigned cone.
• It is imperative that no one leaves their spot, and that all graduates follow social distancing protocol. Once parked, cars should be turned off.
• At this time Principal Hinton will ask for members of the Class of 2020 to exit their vehicle and walk to their specific number to the right of the stage.
• As graduates' names are called they will walk on to the stage, receive their diploma from the table and pause on the X for a photo, then walk off the stage to their number on the left side of the stage.
• After all six graduates have walked across the stage and received their diplomas, they will be dismissed to their vehicles. The vehicles will be dismissed once all graduates are inside, and then the next group of six graduates from the Smith Gym parking lot will be brought in.
4) Timeline
• It is anticipated this will take around one hour to complete the entire ceremony for a graduate, 20 minutes
at each parking lot. Patience is asked throughout this process. The hope is to still make this a memorable event, while adhering to all social distancing guidelines and health protocols. Everyone is encouraged to arrive at the time that will be assigned to each graduate.
5) Inclement Weather Plan
• If bad weather postpones parts or all of the ceremony on Saturday, the ceremony will be held on Sunday, May 24 with the same time schedule. If by some chance it was to rain on both days, the ceremony will be pushed back until Monday, May 25.
6) Mementos
On Sunday, May 24 at 6 p.m. East Canton High School will release a digital copy of the graduation ceremony, combining footage from this event with pre-recorded speeches. Each graduate will receive a DVD copy of this ceremony when they receive their picture and poster. East Canton High School will host a senior pick-up drive through day on Wednesday, June 17 to pick up these items.
