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Boise's Bishop Kelly High School to host in-person graduation ceremony

The school is taking special precautions in order to maintain safe social distancing for graduates and their families.

BOISE, Idaho — High school graduation ceremonies throughout Idaho looked a lot different this year.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, large gatherings of people were not allowed by the state. So most schools had to get creative in order to recognize their seniors' accomplishments.  In some cases, that meant having day-long ceremonies in which graduates came through to get their diploma at a certain time.

But one private Catholic school - Bishop Kelly High in Boise - opted to postpone its originally-scheduled May graduation and wait until the state allowed for gatherings of 50 people or more.

Now that Idaho is in Stage 4 of reopening, the school has announced its plans for a somewhat traditional in-person graduation ceremony on Saturday, June 20, at 8 p.m.

And while there will be hundreds of people gathered together in the school's football stadium, the administration is taking extra precautions to maintain social distancing.

Bishop Kelly leaders say they worked with Central District Health on a plan that allows for graduates to receive their diplomas in person while keeping families and graduates from coming into close contact with each other.

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According to the school, more than 170 graduates will be seated on the football field with eight feet of separation between them.

Each grad is allowed a total of six guests from their own household. Guests will be seated in family groups in the stadium bleachers, also eight feet apart.

School faculty and staff will serve as ushers to make sure that guests are observing one-way foot traffic patterns to eliminate people crossing paths in the stands.

Everyone who attends is urged to wear facemasks. The school says they are even providing graduates with black and gold (the school's colors) face coverings for the event.

Other safety measures include sanitizing the podium and microphone between speakers, the use of gloves for distributing programs and diploma covers, and eliminating the traditional handshakes and hugs that take place on the stage.

The graduation ceremony will also be live-streamed for friends and family members who cannot attend in person due to social distancing restrictions.

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