Canton Harbor High School Graduation Plan

First Christian Church

June 26, 2020

On behalf of all of the teachers and staff at Canton Harbor, I want to let you all know that we are very proud of each and every one of these graduates. They have shown a tremendous amount of perseverance during a time which placed extreme circumstances and stresses on entire families. In the end, each one of these graduates made the decision to make it happen; they put in the time and effort to make their graduation day come true.

Unfortunately, those same extreme circumstances and stresses have played a role in the way that Canton Harbor must conduct our graduation ceremony this year.. As many of you are aware, the ceremony will be held in the First Christian Church parking lot at 6:00p on June 26, 2020. Although this year’s ceremony will not look like those in the past, it still carries the same importance. We must also keep in mind that it is a day to celebrate our graduates. This is not an ideal situation, but it is one that is celebrating the hard work and perseverance they put in to make it to this very day. It is about them, and that is what needs to be celebrated. 

Starting back in May, parents, students, and families have been reaching out for details of how the graduation ceremony will work. The ceremony details will be provided below. Please take the time to read through the details very carefully as they are essential to having a smooth and meaningful ceremony for our graduates. With that said, if you would like to call or contact us using another form of communication for questions we encourage you to do so.

Pre-Graduation Graduation Ceremony Details

1. GRADUATES MUST OBTAIN  PARKING SPOT NUMBER PRIOR TO GRADUATION DAY AT THE SCHOOL- Summer Hours are Monday - Thursday from 9a-2p.

2. All Parties will remain in their vehicles during the duration of the ceremony, with the exception of our graduates while they receive any awards, speak,  and/or receive their diploma. 

3. Arrival Time for Graduates 5:00p on June 26, 2020

   1. Graduates enter the facility in the SOUTH entrance (first entrance traveling north on Market St./ OH-43)

   2. Extended family vehicles enter in the NORTH entrance (second entrance traveling north on Market St./ OH-43)

4. 2 vehicles Per Graduate (number of seatbelts equals the number of people allowed in each vehicle)

   1. 1st vehicle will have the graduate and immediate family of the graduates choosing; Graduate please ride in the front passenger seat

   2. 2nd vehicle must park in the designated Extended Family Parking Area in the Ceremony Lot; parking will be first come, first serve 

      1. All vehicles should be parked facing forward. Please pull through when available!

      2. Please be mindful of the vehicle you decide to use, large vans/trucks are hard to see over and everyone wants to watch their graduate the best they can

5. Graduate vehicles must check-in at the secondary parking lot for instructions as to where and when to move to the ceremony lot and park in their assigned Graduate Parking spot.

During Ceremony Details

1. All Parties will remain in their vehicles during the duration of the ceremony, with the exception of our graduates while they receive any awards, speak,  and/or receive their diploma. 

2. Ceremony is set to begin at 6:00p

3. A sound system will be set up for your listening convenience; to ensure that you can hear you may want to roll down your windows.

4. Ceremony Order

   1. Welcome/Introductions

   2. Student Speaker(s)- participants will be asked to exit vehicle to make statement(s) at the stage

   3. Student Awards(s)- presented by teachers, students will be asked to exit their vehicles to accept their award

   4. Student Graduation and Reception of Diplomas

5. Student Graduation and Reception of Diplomas

   1. Reception of Diplomas will take place in two waves; this will ensure that each immediate family can have a “Front row” view of their graduate receiving their diploma.

      1. First Row of Graduate Vehicles

      2. Second Row of Graduate Vehicles

   2. First Row- Students will be asked to exit their vehicles and stand in front of their cars using the parking lot lines as marks to ensure appropriate social distance. Students will be called to the stage one at a time to receive their diploma; students move up one space each time a student is called. After receiving their diploma students will take an individual picture on their way back to their vehicle. Students will wait patiently for all “First Row” graduates to return to their starting point, in front of their car, and wait for further instructions. After the further instructions have been given, students will re-enter their vehicles and the graduates and vehicles will be asked to EXIT to the right; that concludes the ceremony for the first row. 

   3. Second Row- will stay put and follow the same procedure as the first row. Students will be asked to exit their vehicles and stand in front of their cars using the parking lot lines as marks to ensure appropriate social distance. Students will be called to the state one at a time to receive their diploma; students move up one space each time a student is called. After receiving their diploma students will take an individual picture on their way back to their vehicle. Students will wait patiently for all “Second Row” graduates to return to their starting point, in front of their car, and wait for further instructions. After the further instructions have been given, students will re-enter their vehicles and the graduates and vehicles will be asked to EXIT to the right; that concludes the ceremony for all graduates. 

   4. After all vehicles parked in the Graduate Parking Area have been dismissed the Extended Family Parking area will be dismissed. PLEASE EXIT ONE ROW AT A TIME, PULLING FORWARD AND EXITING TO THE RIGHT. 

Throughout this entire process, staff will be helping to direct traffic and available to answer questions for clarification. Thank you for your patience, cooperation, and understanding as we truly celebrate the hard work each of these graduates has displayed over the course of this school year.

Sincerely, 

Steven A. Nichols

Steven A. Nichols

Administrator/Principal

Canton Harbor High School