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Region 12 Superintendent Megan Bennett (left) and Region 12 Board of Education chairman Gregory Cava at Shepaug graduation.
Photo: Dan Nowak/HearstMediaCTRegion 12 Superintendent Megan Bennett (left) and Region 12 Board of Education chairman Gregory Cava at Shepaug graduation.
Region 12 Superintendent Megan Bennett (left) and Region 12 Board of Education chairman Gregory Cava at Shepaug graduation.
Region 12 Superintendent Megan Bennett (left) and Region 12 Board of Education chairman Gregory Cava at Shepaug graduation.
BRIDGEWATER — The coronavirus pandemic has impacted high schools throughout the nation, causing school administrators to become creative when planning special events to accomodate wearing masks and social distancing — including high school graduation.
On Saturday, administrators at Shepaug Valley High and Region 12 provided a unique concept, drawing from an old era with a drive-in movie format at Bridgewater Fairgrounds. Cars with seniors and their parents were parked in a field in front of a large outdoor movie screen showing a one-hour film that encompassed a complete graduation, with speeches and presentations filmed in advance.
It also helps to have a complete television studio as an education tool in your school that can produce that film — Shepaug Communication Assistant Ben Allen produced the movie.
“The planning for this was a monthlong process involving a large number of people,” Shepaug Principal Kim Gallo said. “We met with the kids a month ago and they told us they didn’t want to have their graduation in the fall, they wanted it June 20 with all the seniors together. From that point on, it was just a matter of coming up with the concept and working out the details.”
Graduation night began at 7:30 p.m. with a one-hour senior parade through the towns where Shepaug draws their students from Washington, Roxbury and Bridgewater.
The parade arrived at the Bridgewater Fairgrounds, cars were parked in their assigned spaces and the graduation movie began at 9 p.m. Students and parents stayed in their cars during the entire movie except for one brief moment. The movie was paused about half-way through for the students to exit their cars and ceremoniously move the tassels on their cap from one side to the other.
“When this pandemic closed down our school, a lot of us were worried about our graduation and whether we would have it,” Shepaug Valedictorian Isabel Eddy said. “While it was disappointing not to have a traditional graduation, the movie presentation and this event overall tonight turned out to be very special. ... Tonight, we had the entire communities supporting us.”
When Eddy taped her speech for the movie, she decided it was important to mention all 75 seniors who were graduating. As she mentioned each senior, she shared a brief event or personal experience that was unique to each student.
“In my four years at Shepaug, I got to know every one of the seniors,” Eddy said. “I wanted people to know who they were and hear about them.”
While the movie was produced by Shepaug High, the presentation was done by Big Wave Events, a local video and production company in Roxbury. Big Wave Events technicians Jeff Winthrop and Joe Burns manned the control board and video equipment that showed the movie on the screen. Seniors and parents tuned in to a radio signal in their cars to listen to the movie.
Region 12 Superintendant Megan Bennett’s speech described the difference between Spartans of centries ago with the Spartans (school nickname) of Shepaug. While the shields of the Spartans of years ago defined who they were, Bennett said today’s shields (masks) don’t define who the seniors, today’s Spartans, are as they embark on the next chapter of their life.
“We wanted to do something special for the seniors, something that would be memorable during this tough time,” Bennett said. “What we did was a traditional graduation ceremony via a film experience. A lot of people were involved in the planning to make this happen. As you walk by the cars and see all the smiles tonight, the concept has certianly been embraced by everyone.”
Region 12 Board of Education Chairman Gregory Cava talked about the seniors and the teachers in his speech.
“The seniors really showed they were able to sacrifice, making something good out of a bad situation,” Cava said. “All the seniors worked hard on their senior projects and gave great presentations. These students were resilient, strong and showed they can have success under adverse conditions and this will help them in life.”
For Gallo, high school graduation never gets old no matter where it’s held or how it’s held. In her speech, Gallo talked about her pride for all the seniors, the seniors being resilient and learning new ways of learning, including the concept of something not done much in the past — Zoom meetings
“Graduations are grand, no matter what the concept,” Gallo said. “You look around here tonight and these kids are awesome and they are excited. In my speech I wanted them to know how proud I am of taking a pandemic and turning it into something amazing. They rose to every struggle and every challenge.”
At the end of the movie, Class President Owen Moore led the car procession out of the Bridgewater Fairgrounds. Seniors will pick up their diplomas at the high school on Monday.
The graduation movie is expected to be available on the Shepaug High website: www.region-12.org/our-schools/shepaug-valley-school-6-12.
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