WISCONSIN (NBC 26) — It’s that time of year where school is almost out of session. And with the end of the school year, that means it’s graduation season.
Many school districts across Northeast Wisconsin had to cancel their in-person ceremonies last year and go virtual due to the pandemic.
However, as things are beginning to move in the right direction with vaccine roll-outs and a clearer picture of COVID-19, many schools are moving forward with in-person high school graduation plans this year.
Shandra Schibbelhut, a senior at Fond du Lac High School said these last four years have flown by.
"It's like a dream but you also don't want it to come true because then that means that your time is over. But it's definitely bittersweet and I'm very excited," Schibbelhut said.
Schibblehut said she will graduate with a class of about 500 students and the ceremony will be in person with a limited attendance of two guests per student.
"I've worked very hard the last four years and I just want a proper end to senior year. I'm really excited because the last year's class didn't get to have that experience. So I’m really excited they're allowing us to do so," Schibblehut said.
Locally, Green Bay Area Public Schools (GBAPS) will host in-person graduation ceremonies at the Resch Center. All four of their schools: West High School, East High School, Southwest High School, and Preble High School will have it at that facility, but at different times.
"Its probably going to be really different, that's all I'm wondering but other than that I'm really excited for it," said Linda Lara, Preble High School Senior.
GBAPS Director of Communications and Public Relations Lori Blakeslee said one of the differences between years prior and this year will be the number of people that will be allowed to attend.
“We often have a lot of community members that attend graduation. Unfortunately due to Brown County Health Department’s Covid mitigation strategies that they have placed at the Resch Center, we are unable to do that this year,” Blakeslee said. “Each student will have four tickets that they’ll be able to have to bring their families to graduation.”
Since some of the individual school ceremonies will be held at different times throughout the same day, they said they will also have restrictions when it comes to time allowed in the center due to sanitary procedures.
Blakeslee mentioned how in a regular year families are allowed to arrive early for seating, but she says this year is not the case. She said families will have assigned seating on a first-come, first-serve basis depending on how soon a student registers names.
“All the details have to be re-thought through as far as what are things going to look like so that people can still have the experience even though it may look different and try to keep as much of our ceremony as intact as possible,” Blakeslee said.
The ceremonies will also be live-streamed online so that those who are unable to attend can also be part of the special day.
Graduation ceremonies for the district’s charter schools will also be taking place in person.
John Dewey Academy of Learning will be having its ceremony at the Bay Beach Pavilion and Northeast Wisconsin School of Innovation will be having its ceremony at the Green Bay Botanical Gardens.
“I’m sure it’s all really going to pay off when we get to graduation day and our seniors get to get do what unfortunately last year seniors didn’t get to do, which is be able to walk across the stage, get their diplomas and celebrate with their families,” Blakeslee said.
The district says they will be implementing social distancing and everyone attending will be required to wear a face covering.
And while things have looked different for these two students over the last year, the seniors say they're just excited to have the chance to celebrate their accomplishments.
"You kind of always have that dream of a high school musical graduation kind of thing. I had two sisters graduate before me so I kind of picture just excited to get ready with my friends and take pictures in our cap and gowns. We’re picking those up this week. So its just like a crazy like whirlwind like it’s real,” Schibbelhut said.
