BELTON, Texas — Belton Independent School District seniors will get a personlized outdoor ceremony the district's principals announced Monday morning.
The district said Belton High School and Belton New Tech @ Waskow seniors will have a personalized outdoor ceremony June 18 at Tiger Field.
“We jointly surveyed our 800+ seniors several weeks ago and heard loud and clear that they wanted to be able to physically walk across a stage for graduation,” said Ben Smith, principal at Belton High School. “Our plan for June 18 will allow them to do that and more.”
Under the plan, students will arrive at scheduled times on June 18 with New Tech students in the morning and Belton High students in the afternoon and evening.
“The celebration will kick off with a car parade as students arrive at the parking lot of Tiger Field,” he said. “We want them to decorate their vehicle, honk, wave and get excited as we celebrate their 13 years of hard work.”
Next up, students will enter the stadium with up to five family members to take part in a personal graduation ceremony that includes walking across a stage and posing for photographs.
As they exit the concourse, students will pick up their official diploma and pose for additional photos. Graduation portraits and a video compilation will be shared with graduates later in the summer.
The principals estimate the entire process - from the student’s arrival in the parking lot until they leave - will take about 15-20 minutes per family.
“Later that evening, after the entire class of 2020 has graduated, they are all invited back to Tiger Field for a fireworks show,” New Tech High School Principal Jennisty Thomason said. “It’ll include a broadcast of special messages to the graduates.”
The Texas Education Agency provided guidance to school districts last week approving outdoor ceremonies with additional requirements related to number of participants, diploma presentation procedures and other safety protocols.
Thomason said finding the right way to honor the class of 2020 has been heavy on the hearts of many in Belton ISD since COVID-19 cut short their senior year.
Seniors will receive emails in the coming weeks with additional details about safety protocols, scheduling and parking. The information will also be posted on www.bisd.net/extendedlearning