Senior year is something high school students dream about.
But proms and trips have been canceled because of the coronavirus. Now the biggest milestone of them all is in jeopardy: Graduation.
“I’ve been thinking about that exact moment for years and years,” said McKinney High School senior and class president Sydney Anderson.
Classes have been canceled in McKinney since mid-March. Anderson is now e-learning at home and unsure if she’ll be able to cross the stage in her cap and gown.
“It’s been super devastating,” she said.
This week, there was a sign of hope, literally, in her front yard.
Principals at all three high schools in McKinney – McKinney Boyd, McKinney North, and McKinney High – ordered yard signs for each of the nearly 2,000 graduating seniors in the city.
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“It’s really sweet that they did that for us just to kind of give us hope,” Anderson said.
The signs show each school's respective logo with the words “We love our seniors.”
“Words matter and words are important so when we use the words ‘we love our seniors,’ it's a true emotion,” said McKinney High School Principal Alan Arbabi.
Graduation ceremonies in McKinney are still scheduled for late May, for now. The district, along with many others, will reassess as the date nears.
Dallas and Fort Worth School Districts have not decided whether to call off graduation ceremonies either.
This week, Frisco ISD put plans in place in case classes are canceled for the rest of the school year.
Saving graduation could mean crossing a parking lot, instead of a stage. It’s commencement without leaving your car.
“Plan B will be drive-thru graduation,” said Frisco ISD Superintendent Mike Waldrip during a school board meeting this week. “Seniors can wear their caps and gowns and you can bring noisemakers and whistle and hoot and holler and do whatever you do when you receive your diploma.”
