It wasn’t a typical graduation but what the Shaker High graduation lacked because of circumstance, it made up for with ingenious pomp thrown together in a matter of a couple weeks.
The nearly 500 graduates and their families gathered at the Our Lady of Assumption Church on Saturday, June 27 and drove into the campus through the middle school entrance. They then proceeded through a gauntlet of balloon lined arches and different stations with faculty and staff cheering the graduates on to the next chapter in their lives. Hook and ladder fire trucks hoisted a huge American Flag, a DJ blasted music and different school organizations handed out memorabilia and recognitions.
The families pulled up to a stage and the graduates walked up a ramp to collect their diploma and get their photo taken. The formal rite of passage was broadcast to the crowd on a huge projector screen.
School districts across the state were basically given three choices — have staggered ceremonies with small groups of students, hold ceremonies at drive-in theaters or hold drive through ceremonies.
Check out our website for more photos of the ceremony by Jim Franco and Shaker senior Sarah Hamilton.