Oyster Bay High students get to graduate together after challenging year

Oyster Bay High School’s graduating Class of 2020 gathered Saturday celebrating the end of a challenging school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic with special graduation ceremonies.

Following mask and social distancing guidelines with only parents and graduating students allowed, a series of commencement ceremonies were held on the front lawn of Oyster Bay High School where school officials said graduations have taken place for nearly 100 years. Ceremonies were held at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Oyster Bay Superintendent Dr. Laura Seinfeld said Saturday that the class’s small size of 115 students was instrumental in helping the district conduct the festivities.

“We were committed to giving the Class of 2020 the proper send-off and the send-off that they deserved. Our small class size provided us with options that our colleague districts were not able to enjoy,” Seinfeld said.

Oyster Bay High School Principal Sharon Lasher said the high school had considered postponing the ceremony to Aug. 1, but changed their minds once they saw the pandemic worsening across the country.

Graduating students also told school district officials they wanted to graduate together as a class, even if it meant having no family members present. However, the students’ families were against that idea, so the school worked with a committee of administrators, teachers, students and parents to create a series of ceremonies allowing families to be there while maintaining state guidelines on masks and social distancing, Lasher said.

The 8 a.m. ceremony was for the entire class of students but with no parents, and then the students were split into groups for the last three ceremonies which their parents could attend. Also, the students walked together from the high school on E. Main Street to Fireman’s Field after the 8 a.m. ceremony, so that the community could come out and cheer them.

“So far, it’s been great. The first ceremony with kids only was wonderful. They got to be all together as a grade even though they were properly socially distanced, and with the 10 a.m. ceremony … the parents were grateful for the opportunity to watch their kids live because most schools didn’t have that opportunity,” Lasher said.

Julia Cutajar, the class’s salutatorian, called the class of 2020 during her acceptance speech “the most resilient class ever.”

“We were distraught over not having our senior festivities, but no school event scared us more than the outcome of graduation. However, we have been taught never to patiently fold our hands when the odds are stacked against us,” Cutajar said.

Aavi Gupta, the class’s valedictorian, said during his speech that while the pandemic had robbed students of their senior year, the adjustments to digital learning and the push to have the ceremony proceed “was a test of our own will and our capacity to strive for success.”

“I am truly grateful to have spent the last four years of high school learning and studying with all of you. I look forward to seeing all that you accomplish in your lives. Our unique time in high school will be remembered as one not only as one of struggle, but also success,” Gupta told his classmates.