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STEPPING INTO HER FUTURE – Yareli Lopez graduated in real time with her 32 fellow La Conner high school seniors Thursday. The one-at-a-time ceremony was also one of a kind: the graduates stepped out of their cars, walked up the steps of the Landy James Gym and received their diplomas. Honks abounded, as graduates-to-be and family members watched and waited from their cars in the school parking lot. – Photo by Ken Stern
The 126th annual La Conner High graduation ceremonies were truly the first of their kind.
With the COVID-19 pandemic having nixed traditional indoor commencement exercises marked by large crowds, celebratory music, tossed mortar boards and release of balloons and confetti, the school’s Class of 2020 still wasn’t denied fanfare.
La Conner High seniors were honored Thursday evening with a drive-thru graduation event outside Landy James Gym followed by a car parade through town led by firefighting and emergency services vehicles with horns blaring and sirens blazing.
Prior to the festivities, the public was able to access on phones and electronic devices student graduation speeches and the announcement of awards and scholarships pre-recorded and arranged by La Conner Schools Technology Director Ryan Hiller.
Hiller’s behind the scenes work didn’t go unnoticed.
“Ryan has been amazing in making this tech magic happen,” said La Conner Schools Superintendent Dr. Whitney Meissner, who joined school counselor Lori Buher and school board president Susie Gardner Deyo in presenting seniors their diplomas on the northwest landing of the gymnasium.
“Ryan did an incredible amount of work,” Buher said Thursday morning, “to record and produce a celebration honoring those students who received awards as well as today’s event.”
The awards and scholarships segment, always among the highlights of commencement, was presented virtually the Tuesday prior to graduation.
La Conner High Principal Todd Torgeson praised Hiller for seamlessly weaving together different components within the virtual segments of this year’s ceremony.
“He really got into the planning of all of it,” Torgeson said. “One of the things he did was use multiple cameras with different angles. It was all pretty amazing because this is something we hadn’t done before.”
Because the La Conner campus, like others across the state, has been closed since March due to the virus crisis, spectators other than immediate family members and guests were not able to view the diploma presentations.
And those present had to do so from within their vehicles or standing or sitting in the parking lot or street.
Again, Hiller had an answer. He was able to livestream the ceremony on a YouTube channel.
In addition, Weekly News contributor Sarah Walls volunteered to take photographs of all the graduates with diplomas in hand.
The car parade that followed was greeted by well-wishers who gathered not just downtown but along the entire route.
“Sixth Street was fun, too,” La Conner resident Rick Dole said afterward. “A couple dozen folks turned out to cheer them on.”
People began milling about at the intersection of First and Morris a half hour before the vintage 1941 white La Conner fire truck arrived at the head of the parade.
Many of the graduates captured the festive scene by shooting their own videos while riding in the serpentine.
The tone had been set the day before when Swinomish honored tribal high school and college graduates with a car parade starting at John K. Bob Ball Park. Tribal members and employees lined streets in Swinomish Village to support the graduates.
“It was an absolutely joyful experience,” said Meissner, who was among the participants.
Others agreed.
“It was amazing,” said Katie Bassford of the Swinomish Youth Center. “I love how everyone was involved. It should definitely be a yearly event.”
Hopefully as part of future graduation weeks anchored by indoor commencements.
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