Graduation Parade Featured on Channel 7 Tonight

The Graduation Parade honoring our Senior Class of 2020 was a tremendous success.  The seniors felt the love all around as the Waynesville Community and family and friends showed up in a big way!  Mike Hartsock of Channel 7 joined the festivities and will be featuring the parade on Channel 7 News tonight, Thursday, May 21st at 11:00pm.

Tune in tonight to watch!! 

Update:  5/19/2020

OFFICIAL NOTICE from the DISTRICT regarding the Graduation Parade and Senior Sunset.

We are monitoring the weather very closely, but ultimately, it is beyond our control.  We are trying to be as adaptable as possible so as to make the best out of an uncooperative Mother Nature.

There was some discussion regarding moving Senior Sunset to Wednesday in an effort to beat the weather, however, the forecasts are telling us otherwise.  So, the high school is moving forward with the plan to hold Graduation Parade followed by Senior Sunset (weather-permitting) on Thursday, May 21^st as previously scheduled.   The rain date for both events is Friday, May 22^nd.  In the event that a Senior Sunset is not feasible due to weather, we are going to plan this for a more suitable night when weather is more cooperative. 

Thank you for your patience as we navigate the rain!

5/18/2020 - Update and Further Details for the Parade:

PLAN for WLS Virtual Graduation and Parade

1. Overview
2. Infrastructure Requirement
3. Student Arrivals
4. Post-parade robe turn in
5. Safety Rules

Senior Parade Line up on May 21

Overview –

Due to COVID 19, Wayne Local Schools plans a virtual graduation and parade beginning at or about 6 PM. The virtual graduation will be presented as a live stream that will include both prerecorded portions and live shots of the parade. A separate document will address the contents, layout and plan for the video production. This document will address the plans for the parade and post-parade robe turn in.

Preparation for the parade will begin approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes prior to the start.  Students will arrive at designated times and park facing the new elementary school. At 5:50 PM, traffic into the school from Dayton Rd will be stopped and student vehicles will start moving from the back lot to Spartan Way to line up for the parade.

Student Arrivals

Students will arrive in accordance with the attached chart.

Arrival Group #1 will arrive at 4:50

Arrival Group #2 will arrive at 5:25

Post Parade Turn in

The Parade will return to the middle school parking lot. The majority of participants will drive down the side of the parking lot closest to the building and make two stops.

-First stop will have representatives from graduate services on the driver’s side of the car to collect the graduate’s robe.  

-Second stop, Brad Connor and Board Members will present each graduate with their diploma through a driver side window. A photographer will take a picture of the diploma presentation and we recommend that graduate wear their cap for the picture.

Graduates who have staff members as parents or stepparents will proceed down the side of the parking lot closest Dayton Rd. *Staff members will receive an email outlining their presentation.

All graduates will exit the parking lot onto Spartan Way and then take a right on to Dayton Rd.  [Staff members will line Spartan Way to give graduates one last standing ovation as they leave school property as newly minted alumni (you talked about this… not sure if it’s going ahead or not]

SAFETY RULES

In order to conduct the parade safely, there will need to be a number of safety rules for the event. Failure by a student to follow these rules could have both legal consequences and continued participation consequences.

1. Traffic flow will be a “one way” traffic pattern during the event.  During line up, cars will move from Dayton Rd on to school property using both lanes.  All traffic leaving school property will shut down at 5:00 PM.
2. All people on WLS property, with the exception of those involved with the live stream, will wear a face covering.
3. All participants will remain in their vehicles at all times once on school property and throughout the parade. No one is permitted to sit on the hood of the vehicle or the trunk of the vehicle. Convertibles are ok and a senior may sit on the back seat. Trucks are ok but only one person in the bed of the truck.
4. No Parking signs will go up in downtown Waynesville on Wednesday, May 20.

FIND YOUR PARKING SPOT FOR THE LINE UP

Students will arrive in accordance with the attached chart.

Arrival Group #1 will arrive at 4:50

Arrival Group #2 will arrive at 5:25

Thursday, May 21:

Waynesville High School Class of 2020 Virtual Graduation & Parade
Due to COVID 19, Wayne Local Schools will have a virtual graduation and parade beginning at 6 pm. The virtual graduation will be presented as live stream that will include both prerecorded portions and live shots of the parade.

Date: Thursday, May 21 at 6pm; Rain Date is Friday, May 22 at 6pm

Where: Seniors will meet in the high school parking lot at assigned times.

Preparation for the Parade: Seniors will be advised of arrival time - between 4:30 pm to 5:50 pm.  The vehicles will be arranged so that seniors will be in line alphabetically throughout the five-mile parade. Seniors may wear their gowns during the parade since they must turn them in at the end of the parade prior to receiving their diploma.  Seniors’ names will be announced at a designated location during the parade, as well as recorded for the final video.
Students will arrive according to a preset schedule in one vehicle per student household. As they arrive, they will be checked in, arranged in parade order and then moved to the new “backlot” near the bus barn.  Once all the groups have arrived and loaded in, the parade will depart the school on a route approved by the Waynesville Police Department.  The parade will return to the lot in front of the Middle School where students will hand in their robes and receive their diplomas.

Safety Rules: In order to conduct the parade safely, there will need to be a number of safety rules for the event.
Traffic flow will be a “one way” traffic pattern during the event. 
All people on WLS property, with the exception of those involved with the live stream, will wear a face covering.  Individuals directing traffic may remove their face coverings momentarily for safety reasons while directing traffic but will replace their covering as soon as feasible.
All participants will remain in their vehicles at all times once on school property and throughout the parade.

Vehicles for the parade: Must be a registered vehicle with no attachments (trailers, etc.). Only one (1) senior permitted per vehicle (if the vehicle is a truck- only one senior/person in the truck bed). Family members may ride in the vehicle (parents and siblings, if room). The vehicle cannot stop throughout the route and no one may leave the vehicle nor can anyone come up to the vehicle as it passes.  A WLS bus will lead the parade. The Waynesville Police Department will have officers monitoring the parade and enforcing the guidelines established by the governor on maintaining social distance throughout the event.

Observers: Family, friends and community are encouraged to remain in vehicles parked throughout the parade route.  Individuals who stand along the route must be 6 feet apart and no congregating together. The Waynesville Police Department will have officers stationed throughout the route.

End of Parade: Vehicles will enter Middle School Parking Lot and will make two brief stops. The 1^st stop will be to hand the gown through the window to a representative from Graduate Services (no one may leave the vehicle). Then drive to the 2^nd stop and receive the diploma through the window from the Board of Education President- Mr. Brad Conner. The vehicle then turns left onto Spartan Way, then to Dayton Road (at stop sign) and turn right to leave. Wayne Local School staff members will be standing along the Middle School Sidewalk and Spartan Way (as the vehicles turn left out of MS lot) - 6 feet apart waving to the seniors as they pass. The parade is then over.

2020 GRADUATION PARADE AND DETAILS