Baldwin-Whitehall announces adjusted graduation, prom dates
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For Baldwin-Whitehall School District Superintendent Dr. Randal Lutz, the class of 2020 commencement was personal – his youngest daughter, Jenna, is a part of the senior class.
Lutz said that he had the privilege of handing his older daughter, Carly, her diploma four years ago, and he always envisioned doing the same for Jenna. “That opportunity is no longer there in a traditional sense,” he said.
Baldwin-Whitehall is among the first local school districts to announce a solid change in plans for its senior class following Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement that schools in Pennsylvania will not be reopening during this academic year.
The district announced Monday in a letter to parents that commencement for the class of 2020 will take place on July 2. If the social distancing guidelines are still in place then, commencement will be held Aug. 6. Should the guidelines still be in place then, commencement could take place with limited spectators, or without an audience at all.
“As the superintendent, as a community member and as a parent, I think we have one of the most wonderful commencements in the area,” Lutz said. “With the pomp and circumstance, bagpipers leading the procession in – the community looks forward to it. We have so many community members that come even if they don’t have kids in the graduating class.”
Coronavirus wrenches aside, the class of 2020 also has its own special claims to fame. This class was born around the time of 9/11 and they were the district’s first class to attend full-day kindergarten.
Preschool graduation, kindergarten graduation and celebrations for fifth- and eighth-graders – and the traditions that those age groups also look forward to – are in limbo as well.
“They’re all milestones,” Lutz said. “Every single event is so important in the parents’ lives. With everything else a bit upside down, we’re just trying to grasp on to a little bit of normalcy, and wherever we can get that we’re going to try. Holding events virtually is a weak alternative, it won’t do them justice.”
He added that the district is trying to readjust before summer to try and get the other milestone classes back together to celebrate their achievements and graduations.
Because of the large class sizes, Baldwin-Whitehall has a junior prom and a senior prom. The senior prom was scheduled at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh, and the venue initially canceled all of its events through May. High School principal Shaun Tomaszewski said that the hotel actually reached out to the senior class sponsors and that their event coordinators “have been really awesome about working with us to get things rescheduled and keep things as normal as possible.”
The district announced that the senior prom has been rescheduled for either July 8 or 9, and that the junior prom, will be held July 10. Again, these events hinge on the social distancing guidelines being lifted by those dates.
Tomaszewski said that he reached out to some students, parents and faculty and the overwhelming consensus was that virtual events were not an option.
“One student said they would rather just have diplomas mailed to them than do virtual commencement,” Tomaszewski said. “I understand that. Commencement is a huge opportunity for catharsis and closure. From an academic perspective, commencement is the most important ceremony we have. Trying to maintain some sort of normalcy was super important.”