Gateway's 2020 grads mark their day in Monroeville Mall parking lot
Gateway High School graduates made history Wednesday as they graduated from a mall parking lot during a “hybrid commencement ceremony,” as the school’s principal put it.
Traditionally, the high school graduation ceremony marks finality – a last hurrah before parting ways. But this year their last day was effectively March 13, when Gov. Tom Wolf shut down schools and extracurricular activities because of the coronavirus pandemic.
On this day, however, Gateway seniors got a chance to say goodbye – in person – before heading into a world still upended by a pandemic. For one evening in Monroeville, the surreal was put on pause as mothers donned sundresses and bright sandals, barefoot fathers wore shirts and cargo shorts, and extended family and friends gathered in a Macy’s Backstage parking lot that resembled a Sunday tailgate.
— Dillon Garrett Carr (@dillonswriting) May 27, 2020
Bubbles and helium balloons floated into the sky. Family members played catch with footballs. Siblings stood on car roofs to snap photos. Cheers and honking horns created a celebratory din. The hoopla was genuine. But it was something more: a collective sigh of relief to be given the opportunity to cheer for something together.
For a couple hours on May 27, everything was normal. But everything, of course, was not normal.
Seniors wore masks with their caps and gowns on an 80-degree evening. They stood and sat six feet apart in a parking lot. They did not shake hands with their principal, superintendent or school board president. Instead, they grabbed their own diploma packet on a stage, which hid the darkened retail store behind it.
“This is very different,” said James Nicholas, a grandfather there to support his grandson, Jalen Chavis. “But it’s wonderful.”
He said he’s never seen a graduation ceremony like this. “We have to make the best of the circumstances. And God blessed us with beautiful weather. It could be raining.”
Gateway grads filing in, 6 feet apart. Everything is normal but then again everything isn’t normal. They’re wearing masks. They’re in a parking lot on an 80 degree night in May. pic.twitter.com/rKq186yFz6
— Dillon Garrett Carr (@dillonswriting) May 27, 2020
The 1,200-space parking lot was Gateway High School Principal Justin Stephan’s first choice in venue. He and the administration began searching for alternatives in April to be able to adhere to social distancing guidelines and stay true to a Gateway-genuine graduation ceremony.
The unorthodox graduation ceremony is one of many events that has been adapted as schools grapple with changes brought on by the covid-19 pandemic.
The senior awards banquet, traditionally held as a separate event from the graduation ceremony, was canceled.
Gateway administrators also canceled the district’s junior and senior prom that was originally scheduled for May 8. Instead, the class of 2020 will have a “Senior Celebration” from 6 to 10 p.m. July 22 at Edgewood Country Club.
The school district’s Kennywood school picnic, originally scheduled for May 2, has been rescheduled for Aug. 22.
To properly social distance during the parking lot graduation ceremony, graduating seniors were placed in school buses six feet apart and transported to the mall’s parking lot. Folding chairs, designated for seniors, were spaced six feet apart on the north side of the parking lot.
A reminder for the seniors lining up to receive their diploma packet. pic.twitter.com/Ksccf37GJ4
— Dillon Garrett Carr (@dillonswriting) May 28, 2020
Family members were encouraged to space their vehicles six feet apart and wear masks.
As the ceremony began for the 233 graduating seniors, the class president, Donovan Baxter, the salutatorian, Abigail Secrist, and the valedictorian, Tadeusz Horomanski, addressed the audience in pre-recorded videos. Giana Miller, a senior, then sang the school district’s alma mater.
Spectators listened through their radios by dialing in to 90.1 FM. They watched a giant screen situated above the stage.
The coronavirus was the furthest thing from Patricia McFarland’s mind. She was there with her family to celebrate her youngest to graduate, Emma. Her two other children have already done the traditional Gateway graduation, which is typically held in Antimarino Stadium.
McFarland said she was pregnant with Emma on September 11, 2001.
“So this is very surreal. But it’s just wonderful and I’m happy they’re doing something for these kids and they’re able to walk. They deserve it. These kids are making history.”
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