Fort Wayne Community Schools choose a virtual commencement as the safest option due to COVID-19 uncertainty, but some students remain saddened they can't turn tassels with their longtime classmates.
For everyone.
3 graduation is going virtual for fort wayne community high school.
Seniors will receive their diplomas during a special drive thru event in june.
Even though parents like amber newmy will celebrate through a computer screen or tv, she still wants her son's cap and gown memory.
Amber newmy//nicholas' mother "it's a keepsake that's gonna remind him, 'hey, you made it through two of the hardest times in the history of your 18 years, one being 9/11 and one being graduation during a pandemic and y'all are coming out looking stronger than ever before."
Amber's son, nicholas, is a senior on the color guard at wayne high school.
The group he couldn't wait to celebrate with after he crossed the stage.
Nicholas wright//wayne high school senior "i definitely miss the color guard team.
Being with them is kind of like a second family, when you've been in it for 4 years and you do color guard for 4 years straight...it sucks, but it is what it is."
Fort wayne community schools says choosing to go virtual wasn't easy.
The covid-19 pandemic and students heading to college left little time to make a decision.
And they had to choose the safe one.
Krista stockman "we have 2,070 seniors graduating this year.
And so we looked at a number of different options.
We looked at smaller ceremonies, we looked at postponing.
We looked at just ceremonies with students and no one else.
We looked at a lot of different things."
But many still want that special feeling: their name being called one last time and turning tassels with the ones they love.
Felix martinez valencia//northrop highschool senior "if you told me a couple months back that we were gonna have a virtual graduation, i probably wouldn't believe you...but here we are today.
And i guess it's something we just have to accept with everything that's going on and try to keep everybody safe."
Now the students might not be so thrilled, but with the pandemic up in the air, remember...fwcs chose the virtual option for safety reasons.
Once again, the special drive thru event for senior to pick up their diplomas will be at their respective high schools from june 4-6.
For more info, check out our website at w-f-f-t dot com.reporting live in fort wayne...i'm mallory beard fox 55
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