CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state Board of Education approved a resolution Wednesday honoring high school seniors across the state who will earn their diplomas in the midst of a pandemic.
“The graduating Class of 2020 has experienced a senior year unprecedented in all history due to the COVID-19 global pandemic,” the resolution said.
State School Board President Dave Perry said it’s appropriate to honor the seniors “for the adjustments they are making.”
Gov. Jim Justice closed schools in late March. He decided last month the buildings would be closed for the rest of the school year. Seniors have had to finish their studies in a variety of ways, most with online instruction.
In the resolution, the state school board predicts the experience gained through the national and state emergency will “increase the resiliency of our 2020 graduates to excel throughout their lives.”
Board member Debra Sullivan said there’s a lesson for the soon-to-be graduates to learn.
“You can’t depend on good luck. You have to make your own good luck and I’m very confident this is what so many of them will do,” Sullivan said. “They’ll grab all the gusto they can in their lives. This may slow them down a little now but they are in it for the long haul.”
High schools across the state have their fingers crossed they can host some kind of in-person commencements in late June.
The resolution will be sent to each high school and posted on the state Department of Education website.