High school graduates can be honored and celebrated, even without ceremonies

Graduation ceremonies, so much appreciated by seniors and their parents, won’t be taking place this June in Los Banos and almost every Merced County school.

Loftin and Veterans Stadiums will be dark. No procession of graduates. No applause or shouts for individuals as their names are announced. No diplomas handed out.

This year’s challenge for family members and friends will be to find new ways to honor graduating seniors, to let hem know they and their accomplishments are appreciated.

Many Los Banosans will think back to graduations past — their own, their children’s, their grandchildren’s. They will recall the excitement among graduates, and the joy felt by family and friends in the stands.

While there’s nothing that can replace those events, there are some things that can be done to honor this year’s graduates.

For one thing, residents can purchase yard purchase signs that say, “We love our seniors, Class of 2020.” These signs are available in Los Banos at Westwind Graphics Designs from a local small business owner, Matt Culley.

My wife Sandy bought two signs from Matt, one supporting Los Banos High and one Pacheco High, even though we have no relatives graduating from either school this year. We wanted to show our appreciation for graduates of both schools. The price of $10 per sign was worth it.

I commend Matt for working with many people in Los Banos to take orders and get signs made for them. Signs can still be ordered from Westwind and can displayed throughout the summer— well past June 5, the date the ceremonies had been scheduled.

Sandy and I have a grandson, Diego, who is graduating this year from Eastlake High School in Chula Vista. We had planned to drive the 397 miles to see his graduation ceremony on June 4. Those plans, like those of so many other grandparents, had to be canceled.

So, in his honor, we have added to both the Tiger and Panther signs in our front yard the words “and Diego at Eastlake H.S., Chula Vista.” Diego, of course, won’t see the signs 400 miles away, but at least we sent him a photo of them, and he texted back that they were “awesome.”

I’m sure other grandparents and parents have been thinking of additional ways to honor graduates. Another possibility is a “drive-by” appreciation. I saw an example of drive-by celebration when a neighbor mom and dad honored their son’s 13th birthday with a drive-by party.

They announced the day and hour people could drive by their home to see their son sitting in a chair with brightly colored balloons on the front sidewalk. During that hour a procession of cars lined up, with people honking and waving and then stopping by to drop off a card or gift.

Watching from across the street, I could see the teenager smile and felt joy for him, his family and friends. What a nice idea to uplift his spirits, as well as everyone else’s in the neighborhood. The same could be done for graduates.

Other ways of honoring a favorite graduate include connecting online through an application like Zoom or gathering in small groups, with people staying six feet apart.

In closing, I’d like to suggest to graduating seniors, they shouldn’t let the disappointment of a ceremony cancellation detract from all they’ve accomplished in four years of high school— both in class work and in extra-curricular activities.

This year, the year of their graduation, will be long remembered. (We all hope that by June 2021 this pandemic will be behind us.) This year’s graduates will be acknowledged as special individuals who survived the last months of high school.

Moreover, from that experience the record will show most of them developed a realization they could survive almost anything.

I hope they develop the determination not just to survive but to thrive — for example by continuing on to college, perhaps at their local community college campus, on their way to a degree or certificate that will enable them to start a satisfying career to support themselves and their families.

In “A Farewell to Arms” Ernest Hemingway wrote, “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” I hope this year’s seniors will become stronger despite a broken, or rather canceled, graduation.

In memoriam: Los Banos lost two extraordinary people when Darryl Henley and Ann Hoefer, two people I’ve known for many years, died earlier this month.

Darryl was a Vietnam veteran who devoted much of his life to hospitals, clinics and assisted living facilities. He was also an accomplished pianist who provided joy to anyone who listed to him play. His congeniality, talent and kindness will be missed.

Ann Hoefer died just a few days before her 100th birthday. She always added life to any conversation with her frankness and sharp wit. And she could tell vivid stories of her life experiences. Her unique personality and lively spirit will be missed.

John Spevak wrote this for the Los Banos Enterprise. His email is john.spevak@gmail.com.

This story was originally published May 29, 2020 at 6:10 PM.