With Graduation Paused, Pine Bluff High School Seniors Have a Parade

In a clever attempt to salvage a bit of the pomp and circumstance associated with graduation, administrators and teachers at Pine Bluff High School arranged a parade for Seniors on the day the students picked up their caps and gowns.

“As we were looking at one of those ways of how we could celebrate what they’ve done and to honor them, we began to have conversations,” said Wanda Van Dyke, Assistant Superintendent.  “A group between our principal, district office, PTO, some of our teachers, and Senior sponsors got together and said, ‘We can do this.’ And, so this is one of our first steps of being able to honor our Seniors.”

Teachers and parents wearing masks, gloves and practicing social distancing stood around the campus while Seniors lined up in cars, trucks and SUVs. Many had painted on the vehicles and tied balloons to the hood. Drake’s new song, produced while the superstar rapper self-isolated, spilled from the open windows.

Asia Saulsberry arrived for the parade with mixed feelings.

“It’s nice, but I would have rather had my graduation than a parade in the car,” she said.

On Monday Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson announced that schools will remain closed for the remainder of the academic year. For some students and educators, adjusting to online instruction has been an adjustment.

“We have to do our work online,” Saulsberry stated. “For me being online doing work is not really good. It’s just been stressful.”

Frustration is being expressed in all corners as the pandemic upends everyday life and stay-at-home directives for most states stretch into the third week. Milestone celebratory occasions like graduations, weddings, and birthdays have become virtual events. Social media is flooded with American ingenuity as couples forgo lavish and well-attended events for a simple exchange of vows at the end of a driveway with neighbors looking on from their driveways.

Making the Best of the Situation

A parent sitting in her SUV commented on the Pine Bluff parade.

“It gives the kids a chance to be creative,” she remarked. “I’m loving it.”

Another parent stood outside her car with her camera and took pictures as tears streamed down her face.

While students sat in the parade line to receive their caps and gowns, Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington delivered a special message for them from a local radio station.

“These are challenging circumstances for you, but not only for you, they are challenging circumstances for the world,” Washington stated. “Pine Bluff High School Seniors, we want you to know you that all of you are a blessing to your family and to your community. As we navigate this national emergency alongside your neighbors and your fellow classmates, we will continue to count our blessings and focus on sustaining our positive outreach. You are the lifeblood of our community.”

Graduation for the Seniors had been scheduled for May 15, and ideas are now under review for a celebration appropriate for the circumstances created by the pandemic.

Assistant Superintendent Van Dyke added, “We will be meeting this Monday with three representatives of our student body, some parents, our PTO and Senior sponsors to have discussions about what would be our options…what would be the best thing that we could to honor our Seniors and yet stay within the requirements for social distancing.”