Dear Class of 2020 Students, Parents and/or Guardians,
We hope this letter finds all of you safe and well during this time. As of April 27th, Governor Carney has extended the order to close schools for the remainder of the year. This order, along with mandates to operate under CDC guidelines, has required us to plan for the celebrations of the Class of 2020 in non-traditional ways. We recognize that the end of the school year for Seniors is a special time for students and families and in order to acknowledge our Seniors’ accomplishments, we would like to share our plans for celebrating the Class of 2020.
At the end of each year, we celebrate our Seniors who have excelled in their academic classes, in extracurricular activities, or have been recognized by the school or our local community. This year, the Senior Awards Ceremony will be broadcast online via social media for students and families to view. Students who receive an award will receive recognition during the ceremony. Details will be forthcoming regarding the date and time of the ceremony.
SENIOR DUES, CAP AND GOWN
William Penn High School and The Wallin School will be waiving the Senior dues for all students and will provide each student with a traditional cap and gown. Any student who has previously paid Senior dues will be issued a refund at a later date. All Seniors will also receive a brand new Senior t-shirt celebrating the Class of 2020 with their previously voted upon design, “To Infinity and Beyond.” All Seniors will receive a yard sign that they can proudly display in their yard or window. We will be scheduling a time for Seniors to pick up their signs when they arrive from the company. Please fill out this form (https://form.jotform.com/201145961800044) to order your t-shirt and cap and gown size by May 8th.
GRADUATION
We recently received notification that the University of Delaware has decided to postpone/cancel all events through July 31st. After much deliberation and discussion with school administrators, staff, and student representatives from the Class of 2020, the decision has been made to hold this year’s graduation ceremony online on June 13th at 6:00 pm. This event will be held virtually in order to ensure the safety of all students, families, and staff members. We are committed to providing a ceremony that follows the tradition of announcing each student’s name to celebrate the important accomplishment of graduating from high school. This graduation exercise, like all others in years past, marks the end of our Seniors’ educational careers in Colonial School District and will memorialize a transition into the exclusive membership of the Alumni of William Penn High School.
During the week of June 16th, we will invite all graduates from the Class of 2020 to return to William Penn High School and The Wallin School to receive their diploma, Senior t-shirt, cap & gown, and graduation program. We will operate under the Governor’s mandate and CDC guidelines when distributing these materials. Further details regarding the distribution of these items and yearbooks will be forthcoming.
An important part of the graduation exercises is having the graduates take an official picture in their cap and gown. We will coordinate official graduation pictures with professional photographers and invite graduates back to William Penn as soon as they are allowed to reopen for business.
Although we have made some adjustments to how we traditionally celebrate our Seniors, the Power of WE remains. WE are committed to celebrating the Class of 2020; WE hold steadfast to the traditions of the Colonial School District and WE recognize the importance of graduating from the largest and greatest high school in the State of Delaware.
Sincerely,
Ms. Lisa R. Brewington. M. Ed. and Mr. Kevin A. White, M. Ed.
Principals
William Penn High School and The Wallin School