S.S. Seward Will Hold Graduation Ceremony

By Elise Fisch

The Florida Union Free School District Board of Education discussed their upcoming graduation ceremony planned for the S.S. Seward Institute Class of 2020 at the board meeting held via teleconference on Thurs., June 18. The event is scheduled for Sat., July 11 at 10 a.m. and will take place at Seward High School.

President of the Board John T. Redman promises the event will strictly adhere to social distancing precautions, and instructions for the proceedings will be published prior to the commencement ceremony. 

  In order to limit the number of people in attendance, graduating students are only permitted to invite one family member to witness the ceremony. This measure will also help to discourage non-local family members from attending a public event, as keeping these occasions local will aid in slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In lieu of hosting a gathering, the Seward middle school faculty and PTA organized a Drive-Up Moving Up ceremony for the eighth graders who will be entering high school next year. A school bus was decorated with streamers and banners to congratulate students for completing their middle school education.

The bus drove through Florida to distribute diplomas, T-shirts, and other treats to students who were eagerly awaiting the bus arrival on their front lawns with their families.

An erroneous number sequence was listed on the Board’s website as the dial-in information for the June 18 meeting, meaning members of the public were unable to use this route to connect and participate. A technical issue like this one is telling of these adaptive times, but due to common instances like this, the Board has allowed for an extension of time given for public comment, and encourages anyone to reach out via phone or email with their comments.

Next Meeting 

The next meeting of the Florida Union Free School District will be held on Thurs., July 9 at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held by teleconference again unless social distancing measures have been lifted before that time.

Portraits of the S.S. Seward Institute Class of 2020 are displayed on the lawn at the high school in the Village of Florida.