By Amanda Kilyk

Warren Hills Regional High School recently announced that the high school will plan an in-person commencement ceremony to be held July 6, after originally planning to hold a virtual graduation.

This announcement follows N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy’s May 26 announcement which allowed for New Jersey high schools to hold graduation ceremonies, beginning July 6.

“When we heard this news, we were so excited to be able to celebrate the class of 2020 in our stadium,” the high school’s announcement stated.

While the high school administration has yet to develop specific plans for the ceremony, Warren Hills Principal Christopher Kavcak said that the high school plans to have “students and families come to our stadium to hear their name called and walk across our stage.”

The NJ Dept. of Education (NJDOE) posted safety guidelines to their website that all high schools should abide by while planning the commencement ceremony. The Warren Hills administration has been working out the logistics of the graduation in order to comply with these guidelines.

“Chairs and markers will be used to ensure social distancing, much like what you see in stores currently. For the graduates, chairs will be set up to make sure they are maintaining social distancing while waiting for their name to be called,” Kavcak said. “For the attendees, markers on our walkways and in our bleachers will be placed to maintain social distancing. Lastly, all attendees will need to wear masks.”

Kavcak said that the high school’s administration is looking for ways to incorporate some traditions into the ceremony, such as the graduates tossing up the graduation caps at the end of the commencement.

“The most recent guidance from the NJDOE is advising against this, so we need to ensure safety and social distancing in all that we plan,” Kavcak said.

Following NJDOE guidelines, there will most likely be multiple ceremonies throughout the day in order to limit the number of attendees in the stadium at the same time. The invitation of family and friends to the ceremony is “going to be dependent on the number of people we are allowed to have,” Kavcak said. “We will stream the entire event live, for those who cannot attend.”

Kavcak said that the July 6 ceremony will feature speeches from himself or Superintendent Earl C. Clymer III. Other speeches, such as those spoken by the class valedictorian and salutatorian, will most likely be featured in a June 11 video ceremony.

“We know how important this ceremony and milestone is to our graduates, their families, and our community,” Kavcak said. “We are committed to celebrating them every way we can.”