PENDLETON — High school seniors won’t be going to prom, playing spring sports or otherwise experiencing the waning days of their final year in anything close to the typical way. Even in-person graduation ceremonies are uncertain.

So parents do their best to honor their graduates in a time of social distancing. Drive-by parades. Street banners. Stadiums lit for 20 minutes.

On Saturday, a group of parents of Pendleton High School seniors — the Senior Parents Committee — pulled off a yard decorating event with gusto. The group invited the public to cruise Pendleton streets viewing yards decorated to celebrate seniors.

On the North Hill, Aaron Luke’s mother, Rachael Luke, let her creativity flow. Around the yard stood various versions of Aaron from grade school through high school, appropriately dressed for the time. His junior self wore his Oregon State Championships track and field T-shirt. For another year, he sported a cross-country sweatshirt. Another shirt identified Aaron, who plays french horn, trumpet, saxophone and bass guitar, as a band member.

“This is Aaron across the years,” said Rachel Luke, who waved at someone slowing his car to take a look at the display.

And so it was around town. Most yards included signs printed at Creative Signs, featuring a photo of the senior and a congratulatory wish. The adornments varied from student to student.

Near Community Park, a display at the home of Jake and Margaret Osborne honored their granddaughter Tanna Stewart and Tanna’s friend Macy Rosselle. Both girls live out of town, so this made the most practical sense. Signs attached to the house identified Tanna as a future Central Washington University Wildcat and Macy as an Oklahoma State University Cowboy.

Macy, 17, lives on a wheat ranch near Adams. She said watching coronavirus disrupt her senior year was heart-wrenching.

“It was difficult,” she said. “It is weird not going back to school and not being able to see your friends.”

Rosselle attempts to focus on the future, which appears promising. She won a $1,000 Oregon Wheat League scholarship and snagged a prestigious leadership scholarship from Oklahoma State, according to her mom. Macy said looking ahead makes her less crazy than dwelling on what is lost.

“It’s sad,” she said, “but we’ve got to move forward and look at the best side of things.”

Not far away on Perkins Avenue, the adorned yard of Allen and Michele Madril celebrated their daughter, Ashlynn Madril. A huge “We (heart) Ashlynn” spread across the yard, surrounded by green and gold balloons.

Michelle Madril, the communications chair for the PHS Class of 2020 parent committee, said students and parents are going through something similar to the stages of grief.

“It’s so unprecedented,” Madril said. “At first we didn’t know how to feel. We held on to the hope they’d go back to school. We feel helpless and that’s not a good way for a mom to feel. Moms are fixers.”

As an adult, she said, she understands that these few months are only a small portion of a life.

“But for a 17- or 18-year-old, this is their whole world right now,” she said. “It’s a big deal.”

Madril said the yard decorating idea came from a parent who had seen posts about a yard decorating event in another state. The yard decorating project quickly ignited.

“This is one small way to celebrate them,” Madril said. “This is one thing we have control over.”