In order to ensure the health and safety of the graduates, their family households, their extended family, and the Forks community, we will follow the Department of Health Guidelines for Graduation, including the local Clallam County Health Department.
We acknowledge the hard work of our graduates throughout their school years, and we also understand that this is not what any of the graduates or their families would want in celebration of this hard work. We also wish we could hold a regular in-person ceremony. However, COVID-19 has created challenges and changes that the entire Nation and world is having to make major adjustments in order to keep the community healthy and safe.
The order of the ceremony will be as follows:
• There are 65 graduating Seniors in the FHS Class of 2020;
• Students and their parent/guardian will sign a written acknowledgment and agreement to following these guidelines prior to participating in the ceremony (there will be no deviations);
• Traffic control will be provided, and has been approved, by the Forks Police Department and the Forks Fire Department;
• The graduates will only have potential physical interaction, at the required socially distanced six feet 6’) of separation, with a total of four (4) people as follows:FHS Principal
Photographer;
Announcer; and
Tech Support,
• After the Valedictorian, Salutatorian, all other students will be divided into groups of 10 graduates.Graduates will be asked to complete a brief form with their family, their FHS highlights, and their future plans. This form will be utilized by the announcer for the recorded/livestream that will be part of the graduate’s “walk across the stage”.
Each group will be given a time that they can arrive with their household members in one vehicle (no more than five). The staging location for the vehicles will be separated by at least ten (10’) feet. The timing of each vehicle will be given a specific five-minute period to arrive at the staging area by the drive-in front of Forks High School at Spartan Avenue.
• The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m.The first 10 cars will be at the Peninsula College parking lot no later than 1:55 p.m. Graduates and household members will NOT get out of their cars;
At two-minute intervals, each vehicle will be move forward with direction from traffic control from the Peninsula College parking lot onto Spartan Avenue in front of the district office.
Stopping points will be marked using cones so cars know where to stop during the intervals, including the graduate spot in the front of the high school.
Once the car is parked in front of Forks High School, the graduate will exit his/her household vehicle.
Everyone else in that vehicle will stay in that vehicle while the student receives his/her diploma and moves his/her tassel over to the other side of the cap and has a picture taken.
Expected time on stage is about two (2) to three (3) minutes.
Graduate will return to the vehicle.
Graduate and vehicle will continue around the drive-through entrance in front of Forks High School, turn right onto Spartan Avenue and presume on Spartan until Calawah way.
• Set arrival times will be in 25-minute blocks of time – for an approximate four (4) hour graduation period (pending on how many graduates agree to participate)
• Vehicle Staging AreaPeninsula College parking lot
• Other Guidelines requirementsEach vehicle may contain only members from a single household who are not sick (no comingling of families or friends within a vehicle).
Ensure accessibility for all participants
ADA compliance;
Vehicle usage if graduate does not have a vehicle on a case-by-case basis.
Community members can view the ceremony via a recording, as permitted by state guidelines.
Cindy M. Feasel
Principal Forks High School
