Pinnacle Charter School in Thornton, Colorado didn’t want the school year to just end for kids.
“As everyone knows, the way in-person school ended was very abrupt,” says Chad Miller, CEO of Pinnacle. “As an administration and staff, we really wanted to celebrate our kids, and their passage into the next grade with a bit of fun and style. We also really wanted to honor the senior class of 2020 on their actual graduation day of May 14th.”
Thus the One Pack Parade was created, allowing teachers and students the opportunity to say good-bye and commemorate the end of the 2019-20 school year in a special and fun way for everyone.
“Our teachers and staff were just as sad to see the year end this way, so this was a creative way to allow everyone an opportunity to have some closure on the school year,” says Miller. “We set-up times for all of our families to drive through the Pinnacle Tunnel of Success throughout the day by grade level, and we had those particular teachers here to wave to their kids. It was amazing to see the looks on everyone’s faces as they saw each other in person for the first time since mid-March.”
The day culminated in a virtual graduation for the senior class of 2020 with a parade that began at Water World and ended at the K-8 building on the Pinnacle campus. Seniors were asked to ride one per car, and decorate their car especially so that teachers would know a graduate was in the car.
“Our seniors have been so resilient and gracious throughout all of this,” says Miller. “They missed out on some very important milestones at the end of their senior year, and we wanted to make sure to honor their actual graduation date of May 14, 2020. We are planning to hold an in-person ceremony just as soon as we feel it is safe, but this date should be special to them too.”
The parade began at Water World, and seniors were escorted through the streets of Federal Heights by police officers and firefighters in three separate groups to receive an extra special send-off into their life beyond high school. High school staff also created a special virtual graduation ceremony complete with video messages from classmates, teachers and administration.
“We were thrilled that Federal Heights agreed to participate,” says Miller. “It gave the ceremony an even more special feel, and the unique video messages were the capstone to an amazing commencement. While it was far from the graduation ceremony we originally had in mind, I’m guessing none of us will soon forget it.”