Indoor Commencement Protocols

Graduates

·       Before arriving, graduates should complete the self-screening process for COVID-19 symptoms on page three.  If anyone answers yes to any of the screening questions, he/she should NOT attend our graduation ceremony.

·        Graduates should be fully dressed in their cap, gown, stole, tassel, and honor chords/medallions by 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 25.  Graduates should park their vehicles in the staff parking lot and report to the HS Band Room.  We will provide instructions, pin boutonnieres and corsages, and take group pictures with backdrops in the band room.  No family members will be allowed in the band room, hallways, or gym floor.

·        School photographers (Michelle and Brian Maas) will be on hand to take group pictures of our graduates.  Those photos will be available electronically at no cost to our graduates, parents, and family members.

·        Masks are strongly encouraged to be worn but will not be required.

·        At 2:00 p.m., students will enter the gym from the band room and take a lap around the graduate chairs and then they will fill in alphabetically from back to front. 

·        During the ceremony, students will sit in chairs 6 feet apart on the gym floor.  A commencement program will be placed on the graduate chairs, along with a bottle of water.

·        Each graduate will walk across the stage, receive his/her diploma, and pause for a picture with our school board president Deb Bergland on the stage. 

·        Upon exiting the stage, an additional picture will be taken of the graduate in front of a Watchdog backdrop with his/her diploma.

·        All photos will be made available electronically at no cost to our graduates, parents, and family members.  No family members will be allowed on the gym floor for pictures.

·        After the ceremony, graduates should pick up their gift bag from the high school gym lobby.  This bag will contain any items from the public (cards or gifts) or items left at school.

·        We ask that graduates leave campus after the ceremony and avoid meeting in groups in the gym, lobby, and parking lot.

Parents, Family Members, and Guests

·       Before arriving, parents, family members, and guests should self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms using the form located on page three.  If anyone answers yes to any of the screening questions, he or she should NOT attend our graduation ceremony.

·        The gym doors will open at 1:00 p.m.  We want to avoid a large congestion of families waiting outside for the doors to open.  We ask that you stay in your vehicles until the gym doors are open.

·        Parents, family members, and guests will all be seated in one of three sets of gym bleachers—two on the main floor and one in the balcony.

·        No family members will be allowed in the staff parking lot area prior to the ceremony. 

·        No family members will be allowed in the band room or on the gym floor near the graduates or stage, before or during the ceremony.

·        A school photographer will take pictures as each graduate receives his/her diploma from school board president Deb Bergland.  Another photo will be taken of each graduate with his/her diploma as he/she exits the stage.

·        Those photos will be made available electronically at no cost to our graduates, parents, and family members.  No family members will be allowed on the gym floor for pictures.

·        Masks are strongly encouraged to be worn but will not be required.

·        We ask that family units sit together in the gym bleachers and that they do their best to socially distance by sitting a minimum of 6 feet apart from other family groups.

·        The restrooms in the gym lobby will be open for public use.

·        The District will provide a complimentary bottle of water to all in attendance as they enter the gym and pick up a commencement program.

·        After the ceremony, our District will be distributing prepackaged ice cream treats and popsicles to all in attendance as they exit the gym lobby doors.

·        Similar to our graduates, we ask that families do not linger in the gym, lobby, or parking lot to avoid prolonged exposure with other families and guests.


COVID-19 Self-Screening Questions 

To curb the spread of COVID-19 and minimize the potential risk of exposure, our District is requiring that our graduates, parents, family members, staff, and guests self-screen prior to attending the BHS Class of 2020 Commencement Ceremony.

____Yes    ____No           Have you had close contact (within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes) with

                                                someone who has a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the past 14 days?

____Yes    ____No           Do you have a fever of 100.4 or greater?

____Yes    ____No           Do you have a new or worsening cough?

____Yes    ____No           Do you have an unexplained sore throat?

____Yes    ____No           Do you have a new or worsening shortness of breath or difficulty

breathing?

____Yes    ____No           Do you have unexplained fatigue and/or muscle/body aches?

____Yes    ____No           Do you have a headache (unrelated to a known health condition, i.e.

migraines)?

____Yes    ____No           Do you have a new loss of taste or smell?

____Yes    ____No           Do you have chills?

____Yes    ____No           Do you have nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea?

If YES to ANY of these questions, STOP!  Please do not attend our graduation ceremony.  Contact your healthcare provider.  You may also contact the SD Department of Health with any COVID-19 questions at 1-800-592-1861 or call the SD COVID-19 Information Line at  1-800-997-2880.

If you are able to answer NO to ALL questions, GO!  Please attend our graduation ceremony.