MARSHALL, Ark. – The COVID-19 pandemic caused graduation ceremonies to be canceled across the country. One Van Buren High school took their ceremony to the big screen.
Clinton High School hired a production company to individually film each senior walking the stage and getting their diploma. They stitched it all together and aired it Monday night at the Kenda Drive-In Theater in Marshall.
“Graduation is always the last time that all seniors are together for one last time. They’ll never be all together again so doing this tonight will give them their closure and their families are going to be here,” Clinton High School Principal Tim Smith said.
Hundreds of seniors and their families pulled into the parking lot to watch this special moment.
“I think it’s super cool and I’m happy that they came up with something to suit us because we’re special seniors to them and I think they made us feel pretty special,” 2020 graduate Kendyl Breedlove said.
Normally people look back on their high school careers and remember the sports they played or the friends they made. This class says this new kind of graduation will be at the top of their memories.
“I’ll definitely think of this because it’s different but it’s a good kind of different and I’ll always remember the class of 2020 and like how we didn’t get the rest of our senior year but we have a graduation at the drive-in and that’s really cool,” Breedlove said.
Many of the families brought signs and decorations to make this celebration even more special.
At the end of the virtual ceremony, the graduates were able to get out of their cars and throw their caps. Seniors say this is a moment they’ll never forget.