The Clarke Central High School 20201 Graduation will be held in the Billy Henderson Stadium on May 22. The 2021 graduation ceremony will be very different from previous years, however, CCHS Family Engagement Specialist and Graduation Coordinator Christian Barner believes the changes made will improve the ceremony. “(This graduation) is going to look very different being on the Clarke Central football field,” Barner said. “I think it’s going to look a lot better.” Photo from the ODYSSEY Archives
In contrast to previous years, the 2021 graduation ceremony will be held in the morning and outdoors at Clarke Central High School in Billy Henderson Stadium rather than an evening ceremony at the University of Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum.
In past ceremonies, students were given tickets to allocate to guests. In addition, previous ceremonies were held indoors at Stegeman Coliseum at UGA with the exception of the 2020 graduation, which was virtual only.
“There’s not a guest capacity or a limit on the number of people. We have a lot of room, both on both sides of the stand, as well as around the stands for people to be able to come,” CCHS Family Engagement Specialist and Graduation Coordinator Christian Barner said. “There’s also a lot of room on the outside of those stands, particularly on the home field side way up at the top of that. There will be a lot of people but I think we’ve also got ample room to be able to hold all those folks.”
Barner had to make changes to the ceremony in order to minimize the risk of the spread of COVID-19, including encouraging masks and social distancing
“Having it at the football field, having it with COVID and everything we do ask that everybody needs to be masked, we’re trying to ask folks to socially distance, we know that that might be difficult because there’s gonna be a lot of people coming out for it,” Barner said.
Because the ceremony will be on the new turf field, a dress code will be enforced.
Clarke Central High School 2019 alumni Patrick Madrid shakes CCHS Principal Dr. Swade Huff’s hand during the 2019 Graduation ceremony in Stegman Collesium on May 18, 2019. According to CCHS Family Engagement Specialist and Graduation Coordinator Christian Barner, Huff will only be handing off diplomas and not shaking hands due to COVID-19. “Touching 350 hands and concern for what might spread from one student to the next — I believe it’s to make everyone feel comfortable even though it might not be a huge issue,” Barner said. “We will also have students spaced three feet apart on the field and a student usher wiping down the mic in between speakers.” Photo by Krista Shumaker
“(We are) asking for seniors to please pay attention to the dress code. Particularly for girls to not wear high heels, they have to wear some sort of flat-soled shoes, whether that be wedges or flats or sandals,” Barner said. “The artificial turf that they put down can get holes poked in it if girls are wearing high heels. If girls are wearing high heels, they’re going to get pulled or possibly walk barefoot.”
A virtual option will be available to families who want to view remotely.
“The CCHS graduation ceremony will be live-streamed on the CCSD YouTube page. It will remain on the site after the ceremony for future views,” the CCHS Class of 2020 Graduation Letter stated.
Graduation rehearsal will be held at Billy Henderson Stadium from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 21. It will be mandatory for graduating seniors to attend, and graduates who do not show will not march in the ceremony.
“We have to figure out when the stage and the chairs will be set up. They’re using the same stage and chairs from Cedar Shoals’ graduation, which is happening on Friday morning,” Barner said.
“We’ve got to wait for their ceremony to occur and then for that to be packed up, brought over here, and then set up here before we can have our own rehearsal.”
CCHS senior Rachel Mattern-Parks will be bringing her parents, grandparents and brother to her graduation.
“I’m glad that we are getting an in-person ceremony this year, especially considering that last year’s seniors didn’t,” Mattern-Parks said. “It’s nice to be able to honor all of our hard work over the past four years with a real celebration altogether. I’m looking forward to seeing all my classmates and people that I haven’t seen in a long time, especially because I don’t go to school in person.”
CCHS senior Elise Ochieng will be bringing her parents and some family friends to support her at graduation.
“I think the ceremony we are getting will be quite nice,” Ochieng said. “It is at ‘home’ and quite quaint. I am just excited to be done, and turning the page with this chapter.”
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