Half of Valencia High School’s graduating class of 2020 marked the end of their time in high school with a drive through graduation ceremony at Central Park on Tuesday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWwxtt30kJ4

This year’s cohort of Viking graduates features 700 seniors, so the event was split into two days to keep things manageable.

The event went off without a hitch as 350 students rolled through the ceremony and crossed the stage as they were cheered on by family and faculty in attendance.

“It is all about having that moment and to have these kids walk across that stage,” said Valencia High School Principal Stephen Ford. “It’s about the families having the opportunity to say goodbye to something and moving onto the next step of life.”

See Related: Hart District Releases Drive-Through Graduation Schedule

Until several weeks prior to the event, the possibility of an in person graduation had been uncertain under the “safer-at-home” order during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the go-ahead was given for the drive-thru graduations and William S. Hart Union High School District officials and its schools quickly went to work to organize the events.

“Giving them this opportunity is a big deal to our families but it’s also a big deal to our staff and everybody else,” Ford said. “It’s been really good, I’m glad we were able to pull it off.”

Principal Ford left his graduating seniors with one final piece of advice as they prepare to enter the next chapter of their lives: 

“Take chances and never be afraid to fail, that’s the most important thing,” Ford said.

Photo by Wyatt Smith/KHTS News.

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