By LAURIE GOULD
St. Agnes Academy
The St. Agnes Academy 8th grade graduation ceremony was held on Wednesday, May 13th, drive through style to comply with Social Distancing measures due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. This date was exactly two months from the last day of their “regular” in class sessions. This 8th grade class, as well as the rest of the St. Agnes Academy Pre-K though grade 7 students and their families, was resilient and confronted the daunting task of on-line remote learning through Microsoft TEAMS, Facebook, Zoom, and Google Classroom as well as other packet instructions as assigned by the SAA staff. It was an extraordinary endeavor; one that will be looked back on with amazement for all affected by this unprecedented time in current history.
The staff and families made this once-in-a-lifetime celebration special even under the restricted circumstances. Seventh grade students “traditionally” host the graduation reception for the 8th grade class, but that wasn’t an option, so they displayed posters, sprayed silly string while staying by their family’s cars, cheering and honking car horns as the 8th Grade Graduates and their families drove past. Tentative plans include these graduates being recognized at a mass sometime in the future when attendance in the church is made possible. The 11 SAA 8th Grade Graduates include: Morgan LeMunyan, Jonah Amill, Matthias Benzel, Tate Thompson, Angel Trejo, Hailey Karell, Keegan Busch, Keaton Mann, Mario Rodriquez, Ava Weingart, and Mason Trumble. They plan to attend Alliance High School in the Fall of 2020.
St. Agnes Academy Pre-School Graduation was held in a similar style the previous week on May 7th. Pre-school Educator Jenell Martinez, Fr. Tim Stoner, and Principal, Rodney Wilhelm, were stationed on one side of the parking lot behind the specially decorated graduation station. Each car with the family and their graduate, wearing a graduation cap given to them upon entering the parking lot by paraeducator, Ashley Weingart, drove up one at a time where each graduate was given their diploma certificate through their car window.