This morning, Shaker Heights Schools Superintendent David Glasner shared this video message regarding commencement. You may watch the video by clicking on the YouTube image below or you may read the transcript that follows. You may also watch a graduation message from High School Principal Eric Juli.

 

 

Good morning, Shaker Heights Schools Families and Students,

I’d like to share some more information about our decision to hold a virtual commencement for the Class of 2020.  

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to talk with a group of seniors to explain the rationale behind this decision and to discuss next steps. 

Our meeting was positive and I thought it would be helpful to share this same information with all of our students and families.

First of all, let me say this: Class of 2020, I understand and share your frustration that this pandemic has disrupted what should be a special and celebratory time for you and for your families. 

Please know that if the guidance on large group gatherings and on social distancing changes,  we are absolutely open to planning an in-person celebration that honors our seniors later this summer. We know that it is important for our graduates to connect before moving on and if we can provide such a celebration, we will.

I also want to apologize that we did not do a better job of engaging all of our stakeholders in this decision. As you know, it is more difficult than normal to collaborate in ways that we are accustomed. Still, we should have done better and we will. 

Our top priority for the 2020 commencement is to ensure that our students participate in a ceremony that honors the entire senior class together while ensuring the health and safety of our students, staff and other guests.

When the governor closed schools on March 16, we first considered rescheduling commencement.

We considered holding commencement at our own stadium in August or planning a ceremony that adheres to social distancing guidelines.  

Unfortunately, the governor has given every indication that large group gatherings will be prohibited well into the summer and possibly beyond, and he continues to encourage districts to seek out alternatives to commencements. The Governor has even raised doubts about whether Ohio’s schools will begin classes as normal next school year. 

Ultimately, we were concerned that rescheduling commencement, even at our own stadium, carried with it the likely possibility of cancellation, which would mean no commencement at all.

When we learned that many schools and universities around the country were moving toward virtual ceremonies, we began to consider this for ourselves. Given that other districts are also considering virtual options, we believed that if we delayed the decision on a virtual commencement any longer, we would be locked out of having this as an option. 

At that point, we made the choice to assemble the best virtual commencement that we could under the circumstances.

Our plan is to include video input from all graduates and to maintain as many of the traditional commencement components that we can.

And leading up to commencement, we will take every opportunity to honor our graduates in other ways.

For example, in the next few days we will be kicking off a yard sign campaign to celebrate our seniors. This is one way that we, as a community, can recognize their extraordinary accomplishments. There will be more opportunities like this between now and the end of the school year.

You are special to us, Class of 2020. Thank you for your poise and for your patience. I look forward to watching and participating in your commencement ceremony and other celebrations.

As always, we welcome your ideas and feedback. Thank you for your patience and flexibility and congratulations to the Class of 2020!

Sincerely,

Dr. David Glasner, Superintendent
Shaker Heights Schools