The 2020 commencement ceremony at Du Quoin High School may get postponed, Superintendent Matt Hickam said Wednesday, but it won't be canceled.
Hickam said the district won't make a decision on when it will hold graduation and the 8th grade promotion until it knows whether Illinois' stay-at-home order will be extended past April 30.
The graduation is scheduled for May 15 on Van Metre Field; the promotion is scheduled for May 22 inside the middle school.
"We just know it's on everybody's mind -- seniors and parents -- they'd like to have some idea and so would we," Hickam said.
He's advising people to be prepared for the postponement of important events, but not their cancellation, including the prom and the high school musical ("Beauty and The Beast") along with graduation and the promotion ceremony.
"Up until now these things have been decided for us, and I don't see that changing," Hickam said.
"What we'll have control over eventually is when we can have a graduation ceremony. I'd love to have it at Van Metre Field."
Hickam added that the District 300 Educational Foundation's annual awards night, when scholarships are presented, will probably have to be rethought. The scholarships will still be given out, but if school does not resume in May it's likely the money will need to be distributed before the Foundation can safely hold an event, he said.
The awards night at present is scheduled for May 2.
Hickam said it is important to the school and community that all these events are held, even if not everyone can attend a rescheduled event.
"We understand the importance of these events in people's lives and the value of doing 'routine' things" that give a sense of normalcy, he added.
"Some seniors may not be here," he said, for a rescheduled graduation or Foundation awards. "We're just going to have to deal with it."
Du Quoin's tradition of naming a valedictorian and salutatorian will continue. The school takes seven semesters into account when determining the highest two GPAs in the senior class, not the full eight. The valedictorian is called upon to speak at the graduation ceremony.
Hickam said there's no word yet from the Illinois State Board of Education on how graduation requirements might be altered for the 2020 senior class, given that students have been out of class since March 17.
Jackie Matthews, spokeswoman for the ISBE, sent out this response to the question, Will coursework and graduation requirements be amended or waived?
"ISBE highly recommends that districts strategize and prepare for how it can meet the needs of graduating seniors, including ensuring transcripts are accessible and students have the continued ability to request recommendations from teachers and the district.
"ISBE is also investigating opportunities to provide flexibility for graduation requirements for seniors, such as coursework requirements and the Constitution exam."
