After having their senior year upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, Cobb County class of 2020 graduates will finally get the sendoff they deserve.
The school district will host in-person graduation ceremonies for students July 13-24 at McEachern High School’s Cantrell Stadium at 2400 New Macland Road in Powder Springs.
Each graduate will get four tickets to give to family members and guests they want to invite to the ceremony. Each ceremony will be live streamed from the school district’s website for those who can’t attend.
More on Cobb schools: Cobb, Marietta release reopening plan for the 2020-21 school year
Cobb Superintendent Chris Ragsdale told school board members Thursday that McEachern’s stadium can seat more than 9,000 people. Ceremonies will be held at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. to avoid the mid-July heat, he said.
“Graduation is the hallmark of student success, so I am very proud that we have an opportunity to honor the Cobb schools class of 2020 for their years of hard work, dedication, and achievement,” he said. “As the past few months have proven, the class of 2020 is resilient and prepared to embark on their next journey of success.”
Ceremony dates and times are:
•Allatoona, 7:30 p.m. July 14
•Campbell, 9 a.m. July 17
•Harrison, 7:30 p.m. July 18
•Hillgrove, 9 a.m. July 15
•Kell, 7:30 p.m. July 17
•Kennesaw Mountain, 7:30 p.m. July 24
•Lassiter, 7:30 p.m. July 23
•McEachern, 9 a.m. July 21
•North Cobb, 9 a.m. July 22
•Osborne, 7:30 p.m. July 13
•Pebblebrook, 7:30 p.m. July 22
•Pope, 7:30 p.m. July 21
•South Cobb, 9 a.m. July 18
•Sprayberry, 7:30 p.m. July 15
•Walton, 7:30 p.m. July 20
•Wheeler, 9 a.m. July 24.
RELATED | Despite COVID-19 challenges, 9,000 students graduate from Cobb schools
The Cobb school district closed its doors March 16 due to the pandemic, and class of 2020 students were not able to fulfill many of the rites of passage, including graduation, available to seniors.
Graduates will sit on the field six feet apart, and attendees will be allowed to sit in the grandstands. Family members can sit in groups, but must be spaced six feet apart from other groups. No guests will be allowed in the area reserved for graduates.
Temperature checks and symptom screenings will be conducted on graduates and their guests before they enter the stadium. Hand sanitizing stations will be available throughout the stadium, and no hand shaking will take place during the ceremony.
The school district said graduates and guests, as well as staff, should wear masks or face coverings and are encouraged not to congregate in the stadium after the ceremony.
Anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19, including a fever of 100.4 or above, chills, shortness of breath, cough, body aches, headache, sore throat, vomiting or diarrhea and the loss of taste and smell, should not attend the ceremonies.
Like Cobb County News Now on Facebook | Follow on Twitter
About the Author
