FOR THE TOMAHAWK LEADER
TOMAHAWK – School District of Tomahawk staff and students are in the process of planning a “virtual graduation ceremony,” District Administrator Terry Reynolds said in a statement on Wednesday, May 13.
Although no date is set for the ceremony, Reynolds said details will be announced “as soon as possible.”
“Last week, the State Department of Health Services highly recommended that all graduation ceremonies be held virtually due to the COVID-19 safety issues with mass gatherings,” Reynolds said in the statement. “They indicated that this recommendation will continue through the entire summer. Although we all would like to celebrate this special event for our graduates in the ‘traditional manner,’ it is now very evident that due to the current health concerns and liability of sponsoring such an event, we will not be able to celebrate in the same manner this year.”
Reynolds said that, although the virtual ceremony would be “different,” the District is “confident the 2020 virtual ceremony will be very special for all our graduates in honoring their achievement.”
“With every adverse situation, there becomes opportunities to grow as people and improve current practices,” he stated. “There will be new and innovative additions to the ceremony, which will more than likely bring new ‘traditions’ for future graduations. As we move forward with this year’s event, it is important we all reflect on the School District of Tomahawk Vision Statement: ‘Empowering all students to be socially responsible, life-long learners in an ever changing world.’ Certainly this situation keeps us in line with this goal for our students.”