By Larry Wood, Lindsey Hodges and Shiann Sivell/The Aiken Standard
“These students were born for this moment.”
Dr. Shawn Foster, the chief officer of Operations & Student Services for Aiken County Public Schools, used those words Thursday to describe the district's class of 2020.
“Being born during 9/11 and graduating during a pandemic, they've been preparing for this moment their entire lives,” he said. “Just to see the resiliency of this class and this generation of students and to be able to give them this opportunity is something we're happy to do, and we're going to enjoy and celebrate along with them.”
Because of guidelines to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, the school district could not hold graduations for all seven high schools in USC Aiken's Convocation Center this year. Instead, the district scheduled outdoor ceremonies, allowing the students to graduate in person with their classmates at their high schools.
“Yes, there might be a little bit of strain, but they are worth it,” Foster said. “These students have lost out on a lot of opportunities, so to have the opportunity to bring them a memory they will have for the rest of their lives – their memory will probably be more vivid than most graduations.”
More than 700 students from Midland Valley High School, North Augusta High School and Silver Bluff High School received their diplomas Thursday on the first of two days of commencement ceremonies.
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