Tamarac Holds Its 61st Annual Commencement
by Doug La Rocque
There was finally some sunshine in the life of a Tamarac High School senior, not only from Mother Nature, but in the fact they were finally able to conclude their high school years by walking across the stage and receiving their diplomas in front of their families.
The Brittonkill School District held its 61st commencement ceremony underneath a large tent (donated by C.W. Whalen and Sons) on the football field on Friday morning, July 10. The District held off on the graduation ceremony until that date, hoping that the Capital Region would be in Stage 4 of the COVID-19 recovery phase, and the restriction of no more than 150 people at a graduation would have been lifted. The region did enter Stage 4, but the restriction remained in place.
No problem – like many other larger schools in the area, the graduates were assembled into smaller groups, with their families ushered in for the diploma presentation, followed by thorough cleaning by the custodial staff between each session.
Like everything about the school year since March, it was challenging, but this year’s senior classes stayed the course and succeeded in spite of the adversity they faced. Brittonkill School Superintendent Dr. Angelina Maloney summed it up this way: “Our celebration of graduates was a special day for the Tamarac community. Not only am I incredibly proud of the perseverance of our students to get to graduation during a pandemic, but I am also appreciative of the generosity given to our school to provide such a beautiful commencement.”
Congratulations to all of the area’s graduates!