School Board to hear proposal for socially distant LHS graduation

LACONIA — School administrators have worked out the details for an outdoor Laconia High School graduation ceremony with limited attendance which they consider a “clean, safe, and enjoyable ceremony.”

The plan, which has been reviewed by state and local officials, is scheduled to be presented to the School Board on Tuesday, when the board will vote whether to approve it.

Each of the 102 graduates will be limited to two guests who can attend the ceremony on June 12 in the Bank of New Hampshire Stadium, the school’s main athletic field, according to a memo given to the board. In case of bad weather the ceremony will take place on Saturday, June 13, at 10 a.m.

Graduates and their guests will need to arrive in the same vehicle at 6 p.m. on June 12. When directed, each graduate and his or her guests will walk to a predesignated spot where they will wait for instructions on when to enter the stadium. When instructed, the graduate and guests will proceed into the stadium. Upon reaching the gate to the field, the graduate will proceed to an assigned seat on the field, while the guests will go to their reserved spot in the stadium bleachers.

The graduates will be seated 10 feet apart, with 30-foot center and side aisles.

The ceremony’s keynote speaker, retiring faculty members, as well the superintendent, assistant superintendent and School Board members will also be on the field. The rest of the faculty will be seated on Bobotas Field, which overlooks the stadium.

All those attending the ceremony are being urged to wear face masks, and masks will be available for those who do not have one. In addition, sanitation stations will be placed in the stands.

Other family members and friends of the graduates, as well as the public, will be able to watch the ceremony live on Lakes Region Public Access.

When the ceremony ends, the graduates will march off the field while maintaining social distancing, and will then rejoin their guests and return to their car. Once the last graduate and guests get into their vehicle, Laconia Police and Fire Department vehicles will lead them in a parade around Lake Opechee.

“We believe the current New Hampshire and Belknap County coronavirus data supports us having a LHS graduation using the clean, safe and enjoyable considerations outlined,” the memo states.

The details were worked out by High School Principal Michael Fredericksen, Athletic Director Craig Kozens, with comments from graduates and their parents.