“In those first few weeks, when it became apparent that we wouldn’t be able to have a traditional graduation, our administration went to work,” recalls Amy Addington, Sylvania Schools Communications Coordinator. “The administration along with the School Board decided that it was important to give these families a memorable keepsake, and still let them have a graduation.”
Addington says that anything done on the school campus had to be approved first by the Lucas County Health Department. So the administration created and submitted a plan, which fortunately was approved. The in-person graduation was spread out over a two-day period for each high school in late May, and Sylvania’s seniors came and got their diplomas.
“Families were excited to find out they would have an in-person way to celebrate graduation for their child,” says Addington. “But then to also have a video of the entire class was something else. Those students hadn’t seen each other since March, so to have a video of everyone was so important.”
The resulting video, which was released on June 20 & 21, was a surprise for the graduates and their families. Cooper-Smith Advertising recorded each child getting their diploma, produced the video and sent it to the school. BCSN aired it over the weekend, and it is now permanently on YouTube for viewing.
“Cooper-Smith has been a long-standing partner of Sylvania Schools,” said Brad Rieger, Cooper-Smith Chief Operating Officer. “We were privileged this year to provide video production and editing services for the Sylvania Southview and Northview graduation ceremonies. Given the unique challenges associated with the past four months, it was important to create a meaningful digital memory for 2020 graduates, parents and staff members.”
“When you watch it, it truly is like a graduation,” Addington says. “There are student speeches, the superintendent speaks, and you see each person go across the stage. You just don’t have a crowd.”
The videos can be viewed here (below), at the Sylvania Schools website, or on YouTube.
Sylvania Southview commencement 2020
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