In spite of coronavirus, high school graduations commence in Ventura County

Shivani Patel
Ventura County Star

This year's seniors will have some unique memories of their final high school year. 

"Like, no one can say that during their senior year, they lived through a global pandemic, a possibility of World War III and teachers trying to figure out how to unmute themselves on Google Meet."

Oak Park High School senior Aashika Srinivas, who said those words during the school's pre-recorded virtual graduation ceremony on Thursday, summed up an unexpected twist to four years for the class of 2020.

Weeks away from college acceptances, with cherished senior events like prom, graduation and grad night on the horizon, COVID-19 stopped all plans indefinitely. Students were stuck indoors, completing assignments and attending classes virtually. Public events were immediately canceled.

"We still feel to some extent that we've been stripped of a great American tradition," said Oak Park senior class president Ethan Padilla-Kastenberg, but he added that resilience was nothing new for the class of 2020.

Associated Student Body treasurer Michael Holcomb said the experience was unifying.

"I think, honestly, it's kind of made us all strong as individuals," he said, explaining that their experience translated into a "shared identity."

Both graduates were quick to acknowledge that although disappointed, they understood the necessity for caution. Holcomb said parents seemed more upset by being robbed of an in-person graduation ceremony, a moment they had been waiting for their entire lives.

Not all was lost: A May 27 update from Ventura County Public Health allowed county schools to plan for a car line graduation ceremony, where students would be able to leave their vehicles for a photo opportunity and to receive their diplomas. 

This pushed Oak Park Principal Kevin Buchanan and his staff, who had already been busy planning a virtual ceremony, to re-create the graduation experience for seniors while maintaining the county's strict guidelines.

Heidi Cissell, the school's choir director and ASB advisor, was one of those staff members.

Graduation is the one event Cissell is not typically involved in, but with ASB's involvement, she agreed to help out. Cissell and the student group helped put together goody bags, which included awards, a ceremony program, a prom favor, assorted Oak Park memorabilia and more, for the students.

On Thursday, after waiting in a winding line of cars down the school's campus, students and their families inched their way past waving teachers to the Great Lawn. There, the students exited their vehicles to take pictures at designated photo spots that included an OPHS backdrop and an inflatable archway.

They then made it to the most iconic part: walking down the stage, diploma in hand. Family and friends were able to watch a livestream of the whole event.

Dhruv Aggarwal  takes a photo with the Oak Park High School eagle mascot, student David Shiang, during the drive-through graduation ceremony Thursday, June 4, 2020.

When designing the procession, Buchanan said he envisioned a Universal Studios theme park line. By giving families visual cues, such as waving teachers and photo opportunities, he made sure they were engaged — and less likely to disregard county health guidelines.

In the excitement of the moment, some family members hopped out of cars to snap photos in the initial 30 minutes of the event. They were told to return to their cars; Buchanan said the early response helped ensure families stayed put as the car line continued.

The ceremony finished in just under three hours.

The cost, too, came in just under the usual price tag for an Oak Park graduation. All of the elements, including caps and gowns, stoles, renting a jumbotron, and more, for an in-person graduation ceremony totals about $30,000. That money is primarily raised through ceremony ticket sales.

“This year, we lost the ticket revenue,” Buchanan said. He started planning for a virtual ceremony in late March and pushed unused school funds to help pay for the event. These funds included money for event supervision, which wasn’t needed due to cancellations. 

The final cost for this year’s ceremonies — both the car line and the virtual — came in about $100 shy of the usual price tag. 

Buchanan said people wanted to do this style of graduation ceremony again.

“They especially want to livestream the graduation,” he said.

Links to the livestreams were sent out to the student body and their families ahead of time. This meant Oak Park’s international students were able to watch from their corners of the world. 

Related:Here's how community colleges in Ventura County celebrated the class of 2020

More than 600 individuals logged in to watch the virtual ceremony, which was held later in the day. Buchanan said “a lot of those were watch parties.” In his house, there were five people to celebrate the seniors, who also included his son, Liam.

The virtual ceremony covered exactly what a normal graduation would. Special guests, including state Sen. Henry Stern, and celebrity Independent School alumni Rico Rodriguez and Karan Brar, said a few words to the graduates, followed by a slideshow of district board members, school faculty and staff.

A clip of students singing the national anthem played, and students took turns making speeches to their peers. Every student had a slide featuring their full name, current and baby photos, and a short video of them in their cap and gown.

Tony Knight, Oak Park School District superintendent, acknowledged the difficulty for seniors: “They can't be together to hug each other and celebrate and congratulate each other.”

Despite that, Leslie Miller, an English teacher at the school, said, “It was a massive, huge, wonderful success.” 

Her son, Gianluca, is a 2020 graduate. She followed him on foot as he made his way down the line and was able to hand him his diploma. All the elements of a graduation — “the long line, waiting for your turn, personal exchanges, smiling, pictures, podium, principal” — were there, she said. 

This week only marked the start of Ventura County’s graduation season. Schools all over the county, similar to Oak Park, will be hosting car line graduations and virtual ceremonies over the next two weeks.

Shivani Patel covers education for The Star as a Report for America corps member. Reach her at shivani.patel@vcstar.com.