Floyd to host "curbside graduation," prom cancelled for now

As society continues to deal with the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are several changes to senior events due to social distancing requirements and restrictions on large gatherings that have been put in place statewide, which at this point makes the possibility of large summer gatherings such as graduation, prom and awards nights, highly unlikely. With that said, the district is working on innovative alternatives, with preliminary plans outlined below.

“We know that this is not the way that seniors and their families expected that their K-12 academic careers would conclude, but we are making the best of it under the circumstances to ensure our students know their accomplishments and hard work are appreciated,” said Kevin M. Coster, superintendent of schools.

Senior Lawn Signs
The district is working to acquire two sets of “Class of 2020” lawn signs featuring each graduate’s picture – one to display on our grounds and the other for the seniors and their families to proudly display on their lawns, should they wish to do so.

Graduation – Scheduled for June 27 at 10 am
Since a graduation in the traditional format will likely not be possible for the foreseeable future due to Governor Cuomo closing schools for the remainder of the academic year, the district is proud to announce a “Curbside Graduation,” an innovative approach to provide in-person recognition to our seniors for all of their hard work and efforts to cap this milestone in their lives. This will be a week-long effort taking place over five days to accommodate the district’s 600+ graduates, in which seniors and members of their family will arrive to the high school north entrance by car – with only the graduate getting out to pick up their diploma cover, having their name announced and posing for a photo which will be available for free download after the graduation ceremonies via the district’s Flickr account. Families can also take photos from their car. This “Curbside Graduation” will take into effect and be accomplished with social distancing in place in the interest of safety. Additional details and plans will be made available in the coming weeks. We will look to decorate the north entrance with student lawn signs throughout this week.

There will be a formal virtual graduation video tribute to our seniors with the official certification and reading of the Regents decree by the superintendent. This will occur in a video that will go live on Saturday, June 27 at 10 am, across all of the district’s platforms including the website, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Instagram will refer people to the other platforms.

Scholarship Night – Scheduled for June 10, 2020 at 7 pm
The district will pre-record a scholarship night video hosted by Principal Philip Scotto and members of his administrative team. This will be made live on June 10, 2020 at 7 pm across all of the district’s platforms including the website, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Instagram will refer people to the other platforms.

Senior Prom – Scheduled for June 5, 2020
Due to the restrictions on large in-person gatherings, the senior prom has been canceled. The district has been in touch with the venue, which is not anticipating hosting any large gatherings any time soon and was also unable to provide any alternative future dates at this time. The district will keep the lines of communication open with the venue, and should the restrictions loosen and a date becomes available, we will look for an opportunity to hold one later in the summer. If restrictions loosen and the venue is not available, we will consider hosting a prom in the school gymnasium over the summer. However, in the likelihood that prom or any other large gatherings are prohibited from being held this summer, the district will consider alternative options in the future such as a one-year reunion in 2021.

Academic Awards Night – Scheduled for June 3, 2020 at 7 pm
The district will pre-record a tribute highlighting the academic achievements of our senior award recipients. This will be made live on June 3, 2020 at 7 pm across all of the district’s platforms including the website, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Instagram will refer people to the other platforms.

Senior Walk (Graduates Walk Through Former Elementary Schools)
In what has become a fun tradition over the past few years, many seniors proudly walk through their former elementary schools in their caps and gowns to visit many of their former teachers and inspire the younger children to go on to achieve great things. As buildings are closed for the remainder of the academic year, we will offer the opportunity to reschedule the event for December or January of next school year, should the opportunity arise and seniors be interested in returning to do so.

Caps & Gowns
All cap and gown orders placed by the deadline of March 5 are currently in production, according to the company, which is still closed at the moment. The company hopes to be able to re-open in the next few weeks and if all goes well, the caps and gowns should arrive by mid-June. Once we have a confirmation of delivery in place, we will communicate that with the seniors. Any order placed after March 5, we will make every effort with the company to fulfill or provide a refund.

Locker Clean-Out
The high school is creating schedules for students to come in to the building to clean out lockers. Schedules are being finalized and will be made public in the near future.