Class of 2021 to walk this week

MAT-SU — The class of 2021 will be walking across stages in the Mat-Su Valley this week at in-person graduation ceremonies. While six high schools will hold their graduation ceremonies at the Menard Center, Palmer, Colony and Career Tech High School will hold outdoor graduation ceremonies where masks will not be required by the Mat-Su Borough School District. The CDC issued new guidance regarding masks for fully vaccinated people on Thursday, but MSBSD will continue to require masks through the last day of school on May 21.

“The Mat-Su Borough School District Administration has reviewed this new guidance and determined that the District does not have time to adequately develop protocols to effectively enforce new CDC guidelines regarding face covering exemptions for fully vaccinated individuals. Therefore, to continue ensuring the safety of students, staff, and families, face coverings will continue to be required while indoors through the last day of school on Friday, May 21st,” said MSBSD Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Reese Everett.

The outdoor graduations at Colony will host up to 3,000 spectators with each graduate able to distribute up to a dozen wristbands for entry. Everett said that participants and spectators at the outdoor graduation ceremonies will not be required to wear face coverings. Those attending graduation ceremonies are also encouraged to cohort into family groups and continue to maintain a social distance from other spectators. At all graduation celebrations, hand sanitizer dispensers will be placed on either side of the stage to allow for students to shake the hands of their Principal and other school staff.

“We want our students to have the opportunity at their comfort level. We want our students to feel comfortable that when they have that symbolic picture whether it’s shaking the hand of the Principal or a School Board member or whoever that person might be or even holding their diploma cover, we want them to feel comfortable taking their mask off and having that memory mask free,” said Everett. “We want to be covid safe but we also know that because of a lot of hard work we’re at a place where we can and want to start scaling back on some of those more strict requirements, so it’s covid mitigation balanced with the really important aspect of celebration.”

In late January, Superintendent Dr. Randy Trani announced that the district would hold in-person graduation ceremonies, but had yet to mitigate the second semester of the school year. Following an outbreak in January, release of the COVID-19 vaccine has lowered the 14-day case count in the MSBSD to 36. Each MSBSD graduation will be livestreamed, including the outdoor graduations at Colony and Palmer High. After the loss of in-person graduation ceremonies in 2020, Everett described the immense amount of work that went into safely conducting in-person education throughout the year.

“It’s a lot of cooperation from students, staff and families that have allowed us to not only be able to support in person graduation ceremonies, but have allowed us to be the largest school district in the state that’s been open all year. It hasn’t been easy. There’s been plenty of hiccups and speed bumps but it’s been a lot of cooperation,” said Everett. “What we learned last year is that we did the best we could to honor our class of 2020 graduates during a time when there was so much uncertainty regarding public health. What we also learned last year is that there is no substitute for in person, the symbolic act of our graduates crossing the stage, moving that tassel with their peers and launching into the next chapter of their life.”

For Redington, Wasilla, Valley Pathways, Burchell, and Mat-Su Central graduates holding their ceremonies at the Menard Center in Wasilla, masks will still be required of graduates and spectators during those ceremonies. Graduates will be able to remove their masks when crossing the stage. Each school will be permitted 1,200 spectators at the Menard Center.

“The act of crossing that stage may be alone but kids don’t cross that stage by themselves. Every single one of the 1,200 Mat-Su Borough School District graduates in the class of 2021, every single one of them has a support network that has helped them be successful and to me that’s the value of hte in person celebration,” said Everett. “The best part is that their cheerleaders, their support network are able to be there in person and share that moment with them.”

Mat-Su Borough School District Graduation Schedule:

May 17 Houston at Menard 7 pm

May 18 Redington at Menard 7 pm

May 18 Career Tech at Colony 4 pm

May 18 Palmer at Palmer 7 pm

May 19 Valley Pathways at Menard 1 pm

May 19 Su Valley at Su Valley 7 pm

May 19 Colony at Colony 4 pm

May 19 Burchell at Menard 7 pm

May 20 Mat-Su Central at Menard 1 pm

May 20 Wasilla at Menard 7 pm

May 21 Mat-Su Middle College at Menard 1 pm

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