Fort Worth’s graduation celebrations a success after plans changed due to coronavirus
Thousands of graduates took part in one last event as the Fort Worth Independent School District held graduation commencement celebrations at Farrington Field and Clark Stadium.
The district faced backlash in May after moving original plans to a virtual graduation on June 20 over concerns of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Following the changes, superintendent Kent P. Scribner met with senior class presidents during an online conference call, where an in-person graduation celebration was agreed upon.
Arlington Heights High School was one of the first at Farrington Field on June 22.
“It was really nice to see almost everyone again,” said graduate Jalee McDonald. “I thought what we had was nice given the circumstances.”
Schools across the state altered graduation plans because of COVID-19.
Arlington schools held commencements at AT&T Stadium while a majority of schools in Dallas-Fort Worth went to Texas Motor Speedway and Globe Life Field.
For Fort Worth, the celebration was optional.
“We had 297 graduates and maybe just a dozen or so didn’t [come],” said Rachel Bradford, an English teacher at Southwest High School.
Southwest held commencement at Clark Stadium on June 25.
Each student received four tickets for family and friends to help practice social distancing. The students and facility were given school-branded masks while masks were required for family members.
“Overall, the kids were excited to see one another and I loved seeing them too,” Bradford said. “The principal, Mr. John Engel, did a great job at capturing our Southwest spirit and getting us all laughing and remembering what a great group of kids the class of 2020 is.
“They persevered through a rough ending of their senior year with grace and understanding. And I can’t wait to see what these young people do in the future.”
Each ceremony could be watched live on the FWISD YouTube page to accommodate the limited attendance.
Marc Henry’s parents weren’t able to attend their first grandchild’s graduation, De’Marques Henry at Western Hills, but they watched it online.
Western Hills held its ceremony on June 25 at Farrington Field.
“I was happy that my son was able to get the experience and feeling of having a graduation,” Henry said. “He didn’t have a prom and wasn’t able to complete his baseball season due to COVID-19.”
All in all, the celebrations were run smoothly.
Students got their chance to walk across the stage and receive their diplomas when things looked bleak.
“It was nice to see my daughter walk across the stage with her fellow classmates,” Jalee’s mother Shari McDonald said. “Wish it could have been indoors. The graduates were in the sun for most of the ceremony, which made it very uncomfortable for them, however, after everything that has happened it was worth it.
“So much has been taken away from them over these past few months that it made all the sacrifices worth it to be recognized one more time and put an exclamation on their high school careers.”
