By Alyssa Schnugg
News editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com
Oxford High seniors will not be walking across the floor at the Tad Smith Coliseum for their graduation ceremony this year; however, they will wear their cap and gown and get to share the experience with a few family members.
On Tuesday, OHS principal Noah Hamilton announced graduation plans in an email to the Class of 2020.
Hamilton said the Coliseum will not be available to use for graduation since the University of Mississippi campus is closed and even if it was opened, large gatherings are still not considered wise due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Graduation is an important milestone – hearing your name called out, accepting your diploma in-hand, and walking across the stage is a privilege that you have earned,” he wrote. “We have made arrangements to give that experience to you.”
Graduates will wear their cap and gown and experience a personal graduation ceremony with up to five family members or friends in attendance in the Kayla Mize Auditorium at Oxford Middle School on May 5 and May 6. The individual ceremony will be recorded by a production crew and the entire video of all students will be publicly broadcast at 6 p.m. on May 15.
Photographer, Rick Addy will also be photographing the moment. More details will be coming next week with arrangements for students to select their time slots.
Your graduation story will always be a part of Oxford High School’s history from this point forward,” Hamilton said. “Your senior year is a milestone filled with memories to be cherished but some of those stories were cut short due to unforeseeable circumstances. There is no way we could have imagined ending the year this way. Please know that you have been discussed in every meeting, every leadership decision, and every brainstorming session about the end of the year.”
