Cape Hatteras School’s Class of 2020 will have a Drive-In Ceremony on June 11

The Board of Education met on Thursday afternoon in a special meeting and unanimously approved a recommended high school graduation plan for Dare County Schools’ graduating seniors.

The plan includes both a “Drive-in” ceremony between June 1 and 12 and an opportunity for a traditional July ceremony, if conditions warrant the ability to safely hold traditional ceremonies while protecting the health and safety of staff, students, and parents.

The details of the plan per are as follows:

“Drive-In” Ceremonies June 1-12

Each graduating senior and their family/household members will be recognized and receive their diploma at a graduation venue following social distancing guidelines between June 1 and 12. Audra Krieg Photography will photograph families on stage. In addition, Baldwin Video Productions will be there to take a video for a culminating graduation video(s) that will be released by mid-June (approximate date).

All graduation speakers, (Valedictorian, etc.), will be filmed giving their speeches for their school graduation video.

Parents will be able to download free family photos on the district website.

Our “Drive-in” event schedule for families is as follows:

• June 1- 3: FFHS on the football field
• June 8-10: Manteo High School at the Waterside Theatre
• June 11: Cape Hatteras Secondary School on the baseball field

Each high school principal will provide families with a school-specific plan that includes family schedules, logistical information, social distancing guidelines, parking plans, and stage and exit protocol as well as photography guidelines. Principals will be sending their plans home to all graduating seniors and their parents over the next few days.

Please note that all family or household members must wear a face covering at the event. This is mandated to protect the staff and administration at each venue. Families can briefly take their face coverings off while photos are taken (if desired). In addition, each senior can briefly take their mask off (if desired) while they are photographed with their diploma. Face coverings will be provided for those who may need it.

Initial rain dates are June 4, 5, and 12.

Dare County Schools’ expectation is that family and household members (only) may attend the event, but please keep in mind that there cannot be more than 25 individuals on-site, including administration, staff, SRO’s and video personnel. Each school will contact each family to confirm a number of attendees for planning purposes. Families may be asked to reduce the number of participants if it is an excessive request that puts the capacity in jeopardy. In general, each family should be able to easily have 6-7 attendees.

Traditional Ceremonies July 17 and 18

If conditions warrant the ability to safely hold traditional ceremonies while protecting the health and safety of staff, students, and parents, DCS will hold these events on July 17 and July 18. These dates have been selected to allow a significant amount of time to pass with hopes that North Carolina could move to “phase 3” by July. “While this may not necessarily be the most convenient date for everyone, we are trying to stay away from the July 4 holiday and avoid scheduling too close to August when many graduates will go off to college, the workforce, military etc.,” stated the Dare County Schools’ superintendent in an emailed message to parents and students.

The current proposed dates and venues are:

July 17: FFHS at 7:00 pm on the football field

July 18: MHS at 9:00 am at the Waterside Theatre

July 18: CHSS at 7:00 pm (site TBD)

Congratulations to our seniors and their proud families!