From Morristown High School:
Dear Class of 2020 and Parents/Guardians,
We are excited to provide you with the following updates on all that is planned to celebrate our seniors. Please read this letter carefully in its entirety.
Debut of the Class of 2020 Celebration Website
On Monday, June 22, we will launch an extension of our school website that is completely devoted to celebrating our Senior Class. This website will contain Faculty Farewells, Student Tributes to Teachers, Our Students Then & Now, Favorite Student Memories, and much more. The Celebration Website will be accessible through next spring and will serve as a memorable keepsake for our graduates and their families. The link to the website will be sent to all members of the Class of 2020 and their parents on June 22.
Photo Opportunities for Graduates and their Families
Beginning Monday, June 22, through Friday, June 26, between the hours of 11am and 2pm, we will have small staging areas around the school campus for students and parents/guardians to come take photos of graduating seniors. All participants must wear masks (except when being photographed) and must remain six feet apart from non-family members at all times. Group photos with more than one graduate not of the same family are not permitted. We will provide the photo locations in the near future.
Morristown High School’s Class of 2020 Virtual Graduation Ceremony
The Virtual Graduation Ceremony will be available for graduates and their families to view on June 24 at 7pm. As mentioned in our previous communication, this is a student-produced video that will serve as a lifetime memory for all our graduates. A formal invitation will be sent at some point next week.
MORRIS SCHOOL DISTRICT– 31 HAZEL STREET, MORRISTOWN, N.J . 07960 WWW.MORRISSCHOOLDISTRICT.ORG
FAX: (973) 387-7664
Drive-up Diploma and Yearbook Pick-up Celebration
We will conduct a Drive-up Diploma and Yearbook Pick-up Celebration on Saturday, June 27, from 10am – 2pm. In addition to diplomas, yearbooks, and graduation programs, students who received senior award recognitions will receive those materials as well. Teachers, administrators and other staff will be present to wave and clap-out our amazing senior class!! If students have any outstanding financial obligations, they will not be able to pick up these items. We will be providing further details in the near future about this process. All social distancing guidelines and protocols will be followed.
Updates on In-person Graduation Ceremonies
It is with tremendous excitement that we are now able to update our seniors and their families on our plans for in-person graduation ceremonies. Governor Murphy has announced that as of July 3, 2020, he anticipates that up to 500 people will be able to attend outdoor graduation ceremonies. These ceremonies will take place on our football field and will require approximately 50 staff members to oversee and coordinate.
Our plans are as follows:
Plan A – if the capacity limit remains at 500 during the week of July 6, 2020: We will hold 3 separate ceremonies as follows:
- ● Approximately 150 graduates per ceremony (alphabetical by last name)
- ● Two guests per graduate
Plan B – if the capacity limits are reduced but remain between 200 and 500 during the week of July 6, 2020:
We will hold 3 separate ceremonies as follows:
- ● Approximately 150 graduates per ceremony
- ● No guests
If the capacity limits are reduced below 200 during the week of July 6, 2020, we will not hold any in-person graduation ceremonies.
Currently we are planning for these ceremonies to take place during the week of July 6, 2020. Specific dates and times for each ceremony will be communicated in the near future. Students will be required to register to participate in these ceremonies. A Google Form will be shared shortly with students so please make certain your student completes the form so that they are able to participate. As part of the NJ Department of Education guidelines for in-person graduation ceremonies (https://bit.ly/2BukhKq), the following conditions, along with others outlined in the guidelines, will be strictly enforced in order to ensure the highest level of safety for all attendees:
- ● All attendees will be required to wear face masks throughout the ceremony
- ● Social distancing recommendations of six feet or more between non-family members
MORRIS SCHOOL DISTRICT– 31 HAZEL STREET, MORRISTOWN, N.J . 07960 WWW.MORRISSCHOOLDISTRICT.ORG
- ● There will be no physical contact between non-family members
- ● There will be no exchange of any items (diplomas, programs, etc.)
- ● There will be no cap tossing at the end of the ceremony
- ● Ceremonies will be limited in duration to limit exposure
We would like to thank all of our graduates and their families for their patience and support throughout the past few months regarding plans for graduation. Now that we have clear direction and guidelines from the Governor and the State DOE, we are able to plan for meaningful ways to celebrate and honor the Class of 2020. We will provide additional updates and information at some point next week.
Sincerely,
Mark Manning
Principal
Morristown High School
