By Zoe Finholm//
Hood has announced plans to hold in-person commencement ceremonies in May for the classes of 2020 and 2021.
All of Hood’s ceremonies will be held Saturday, May 22, with the class of 2020, both graduate and undergraduate, at 9 a.m., the class of 2021 undergraduate ceremony at 1 p.m. and the class of 2021 graduate ceremony at 5 p.m. Each ceremony will be live-streamed and available to view on the college’s YouTube channel later on in the week.
On April 16, President Andrea Chapdelaine sent an email to all the graduates with details about the event. According to the email, each graduate will be given two tickets for family members which can be picked up between May 3 and May 21.
The email also said, “to ensure the ceremony remains focused on our graduates and featured commencement speakers, some elements of the usual ceremony will be prerecorded and available the morning of commencement and within the context of the full ceremony in a YouTube recording available later that week.”
To maintain safety and social distancing, there will be no processional and graduates will not be allowed to shake hands or hug on stage.
The ceremonies will be postponed in the event of severe weather, such as lightning or strong winds. The cicadas will be in Maryland from late April to June, but Laurie Ward, vice president for marketing and communications, said, “We don’t see that as a huge issue since the ceremony will be on the turf field. Certainly, they’ll be flying around, but they will not be coming out of the ground at the ceremony spot.”
Many seniors said they were pleased with the college’s decision to hold in-person ceremonies.
“I am excited for graduation and extremely happy to be able to walk across the stage, as that is something that many seniors want,” senior Lyssa Blaine said. “Knowing that our school is keeping everyone safe and following the CDC guidelines shows that they have our best interest at heart.”
Senior Caroline Jeranek also was happy. “Selfishly, I am excited that Hood will be holding in-person commencement ceremonies. I’m sure that the class of 2020 is also thrilled,” she said. “I hope that Hood’s administration is making the best decision for everyone involved by allowing outside guests on campus, after so strictly adhering to the New Horizon Plan for the entire year.”
Senior Aliahya Speight said the graduation will give students a chance to reconnect with their classmates. “It will be a great way to see some familiar faces that weren’t able to come to campus for in-person learning,” she said.
Senior Maggie George said, “I think we are in a great spot to have an in-person ceremony and give the graduating 2021 seniors something to look forward to.”
Senior Madison Cooper said she has mixed feelings about in-person graduation. “On one hand, I’m really excited that my graduation will be in-person and not on Zoom. But on the other hand, I am a bit nervous about safety and social distancing.”
Senior Nikki Vitalino said, “It’s good that we are getting a graduation, but at the same time COVID makes it very difficult to have a real one.”
“We are overjoyed that we will be able to gather together to celebrate each of you,” Chapdelaine said.
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