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Graduation in the coronavirus pandemic: Into the unknown
They weren't the graduation celebrations anyone anticipated.
The coronavirus pandemic stole the Class of 2020's last months of high school - and along with that, senior prom, spring sports and musicals.
Instead, this year's graduates got parades that snaked through their neighborhoods. They announced their future plans during drive-through events, posing for photos from a safe distance in their vehicles. High school administrators showed up in their front yards for graduation ceremonies. Students walked across stages and turned their tassels before nearly empty auditoriums.
If everything hadn't changed, many graduates would be marking the end of high school this weekend.
This is a look at what educators and their families gave them instead.
Comments: (319) 398-8330; molly.duffy@thegazette.com
Ellie Tanko is hugged by Abby Tanko (left) and Anna Tanko, 16, after graduating during a May 13 diploma delivery to Xavier High School seniors around Cedar Rapids and Hiawatha. The school held a virtual prom and is holding a virtual baccalaureate Mass, in addition to the drive-by graduation. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
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