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Updated plan for Decorah seniors' end-of-the year activities, including commencement

Posted: Mon, May 4, 2020 1:12 PM

Decorah High School Principal Kim Sheppard writes in a letter to parents, "This has been a difficult time for our seniors, as they near the end of their K-12 educational experiences.  They have so many memories, and we know they were looking forward to making more in the last nine weeks of school.  Mr. Riley, Mr. Trewin, Mr. Lane and I have had many conversations about the seniors and the upcoming events that celebrate their accomplishments and ultimately 'launch' them on to the next chapter in their lives.  None of us have wanted to cancel any of those activities and hope to preserve them if at all possible, knowing that they will look different this year from how they have looked in past years."

Sheppard, along with the high school's Associate Principal Adam Riley and a group of seniors serving as an advisory team, now have a plan for three end of year events that honor seniors: scholarship night, senior banquet, and commencement. Sheppard says, "We believed it was important to gather the perspectives of the seniors, as so many things have been out of their control this year and this was one way in which they could have a voice to identify the most important aspects of these celebrations as possible."

  • Scholarship Night: The DCSD Foundation Scholarship Night will not be held on May 13th, as originally scheduled.  The administation will continue to work with the DCSD Foundation Board to appropriately recognize both the benefactors for their generosity and the seniors.

  • Senior Banquet: Options are still being explored for holding the Senior Banquet, which will no longer be held on May 19th.  If CDC and government guidelines allow, a banquet will be held at a later date that will be determined and shared as the administration is able to do so. Awards that would have normally been presented at the High School Awards Program will be presented at the Senior Banquet, if it is able to be rescheduled.

  • Commencement: Plans are now being made to move the date of the commencement ceremony to June 14th. The location is yet to be determined, and the ceremony will be live-streamed.  If unable to hold the commencement ceremony on June 14th due to guidelines, it will then be postponed until July 12th.

Sheppard concludes the press release, saying, "In the coming weeks, we will continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 and the guidance from the Governor and our Health Department. This information will guide our planning."