Times have changed. What hasn’t changed is what graduation means to hundreds of students in Umatilla County. Getting your hands on that piece of paper is a milestone for so many young people. This has taken 13-plus years for students to accomplish — many of them have faced so many challenges, and still were able to make it to this day of completion of a milestone in their lives.

Graduation diplomas don’t see race, sexual identity, faith, citizenship, language, physical/mental ability, family or even if you live in a car or a mansion. The piece of paper only shows that no one student is any different than the next. The student, no matter what their grade point average, has made it through enough courses to graduate from high school or earn a GED.

It’s not easy in these times of family violence, drug/alcohol addiction, low income compared to high rent, hatred and bullying, a government today that is happy to pit people against people and our country against others to justify their own useless lives, and now everyone is facing a disease that has closed their schools and has prevented that ceremony they have worked toward — graduation of the Class of 2020. 

But there may be a solution. Throughout the school years, different events are put on by the schools that have been videoed and available for the public to view on the internet. Since school is closed and all students and their families have access to school computers, why not have the graduation videoed at the high school?

The principal, vice principal and head school administrator would be the presenters of the diplomas. The students would abide by the rules of staying 6 feet apart, the three adults passing out the diplomas would need to wear masks and surgical gloves, and as the students parade into the auditorium keeping their distance, the video person would record them receiving their diploma, flipping their tassels on their graduation caps and stepping off the stage to line up back in the cafeteria at the same space apart. I would guess there would be a second video person recording if possible. At the end of the ceremony the students would sing their alma mater and scream and throw their hats. It’s available for the family to watch. The kids then go back to their family for whatever is planned.

At least it is an idea.

Bernie Sanderson

Hermiston