P-J file photo

Like their peers all around the country and beyond, Falconer Central School’s 2020 class has already missed out on many of the events and activities that senior students look forward to.

Sports seasons, clubs and most other gatherings have been canceled due to COVID-19. In recent weeks, the conversation has shifted to the finale of not only this school year but of the high school careers of students-graduation. On May 20 and 21, students were first informed of the early plans for this year’s commencement ceremony, which were sent out via letter.

“We all received a letter when we went to pick up our stuff at the school,” senior Alyssa Wright said. “We weren’t allowed to actually go in the school, so we just had to pull our cars in and pop the trunk. The letter was inside of the bags that all of our stuff was in. I had absolutely no idea (this was coming).”

Wright’s main concern after reading the announcement was that graduation ceremonies would be shifted entirely online, dealing another blow to a senior class already hurting for memorable moments. After receiving the letter, Wright organized a petition to help students and families express support for a safe but more-involved commencement.

“It was the exact same night, I believe it was 10 o’clock it started and by the time I woke up we had over 200 signatures,” Wright said. The number of supporters quadrupled in just a few days, while Wright and other students opened a dialogue with Falconer Superintendent Stephen Penhollow and Principal Jeff Jordan about what to do.

Senior students and administrators at Falconer Central School continue to coordinate on plans for a non-traditional graduation ceremony in light of COVID-19, which would make use of the school’s newly refurbished athletic facilities. P-J photo by Jay Young

“The petition is to have (commencement) in person, but to also follow the safety guidelines put in place by Gov. Cuomo,” Wright said. “We’re not fighting for a traditional graduation, it is more like a semi-traditional (service). Just not virtual.”

A semi-traditional service that still follows state safety guidelines is exactly what Falconer plans to end the year with this June. After releasing the primer letter to seniors on Wednesday and Thursday, Jordan and Penhollow unveiled a video on Friday with more details on this year’s plan for graduation. While there was understandable concern that the event would be shifted entirely online, that was never the plan.

“We want to make sure our kids are healthy and safe, that is our ultimate concern, is the safety and wellbeing of our kids,” Penhollow said, “and at the same time, trying to create the most memorable graduation that we can.”

The video, which can be found on district’s website and on Facebook, outlines a ceremony that includes many of the traditional features of a commencement program, viewed through the mandated lens of social distancing and public health.

“We would obviously like to have the entire class together along with their families, and to do that we would have to hold an event, probably with at least 250 people on our athletic facility,” Jordan said. “Right now under the restrictions of the Pause order, we are unable to hold that type of event.”

Under the current plan, speeches by the valedictorian and salutatorian as well as guest speaker Dr. Mary Fales would take place on Wednesday, June 24, at 7 p.m. Those speeches will be recorded and streamed online.

“The idea is that every portion of this graduation, even though we may be isolated in certain parts, will be all put together in an electronic copy,” Penhollow said. “At the end of the graduation, after multiple phases of graduation, that will be emailed to all of the kids so they will have one combined copy of the speaker, the speeches, the awards, the valedictorian, the salutatorian, the announcements of the scholarships. Then we will also (record) the presentation of the diplomas.”

Following the type of drive-through model used for some church services and Memorial Day celebrations, Falconer intends to conduct its presentation of diplomas on Thursday, June 25.

“They will come through our bus loop, we will have people out there with radios,” Penhollow said. “They will announce which car is pulling up, we will load up the information on our new high-def scoreboard. We will have a stage set up out on our all-weather complex where kids will be able to pull their car up, they will practice the proper social distancing. There will only be one car at a time, making sure we maximize what the current executive order is. The kids will walk up with their families, kids will walk up on the stage and be presented with a diploma by our board president. They can pause for pictures, meanwhile music will be playing, the information will be up on the big scoreboard, and then the kids will turn around and exit the stage and walk back to their cars and leave the grounds.”

Here, administrators have had the difficult task of walking a line with public health on one side and the expectations and desires of students on the other. The program in place right now, reflects what is currently possible while still following state guidelines.

“We’ve got a pretty detailed plan, we’ve got pictures, we’ve got video. We plan on splicing all of this in together,” Penhollow said. “Right now under this current executive order this is what we can do, and what we feel we can do safely and appropriately.”

Of course, the mantra of COVID-19 is still in effect-this could change. In the event that restrictions are eased, Falconer administrators can adapt the current plan.

“We do have other plans in place,” Penhollow said. “We have also told all of our seniors and our parents that if the executive order changes, we can change this plan and go to plan A, which we would love to do.”