Linn-Mar Will Hold Four Days of Commencement Ceremonies Next Week

On April 28, Linn-Mar Superintendent Shannon Bisgard and High School Principal Jeffrey Gustason released a letter to the graduates and families of the 2020 graduating class. In the letter, they outlined several possibilities for this year's commencement and announced that a decision would be made Monday, May 11. Yesterday, the school outlined its plan to honor the more than 500 seniors in the Linn-Mar class of 2020.

Linn-Mar will go with what they referred to as Scenario #3 in the late April letter. Interestingly enough, they said back on April 28, "If the decision had to be made today, Scenario #3 would be chosen." Here's what Scenario #3 entails:

Each day Thursday, May 21 through Sunday, May 24, a total of 130 graduates will receive their diplomas inside the Linn-Mar High School Auditorium, five at a time over 15-minute periods. This is to assure social distancing. The diplomas will be handed out in alphabetical order to graduates, in full cap and gown. The graduates will have their name announced, be photographed receiving their diploma, and then again with their diploma afterward. Diplomas will be passed out starting at 9 a.m. each of the four days. The final five students each day will receive their diplomas beginning at 4:15 p.m. KCRG reports each student will be allowed up to four parents or guardians to attend when they receive their diploma.

Another wonderful component is that Linn-Mar will be recording all of the above and a professional video crew will record elements of the commencement ceremony that will be done in the Linn-Mar High School Auditorium early next week. All graduating seniors will receive one of the completed videos next month.

Graduating seniors will receive the date and time they'll receive their diploma today, according to KCRG.

Kudos to Linn-Mar for finding a way to honor seniors in person. It's not perfect, but nothing is right now.