Hamilton Township High School Graduating Class of 2020,
I am so happy to share with you that we have finalized a date for your graduation ceremony. Your commencement ceremony will take place at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, 2020 at Fortress Obetz.
I want to thank you and your parents for being so patient with us as we worked through the development of this event. Early on in this pandemic, you made it very clear to us that you wanted to walk across a stage and receive your diploma, and you were willing to wait months to get that opportunity. My team, along with Village of Obetz leaders, heard you loud and clear.
We have been working very hard to come up with an event that follows social distancing guidance put forth by our state and county health departments. Our event format/plan was approved by officials from Franklin County Public Health, and it will allow you to walk across a stage and receive a diploma from the designee you chose earlier in the year.
The approved graduation plan will utilize a drive-in / drive-up format that, due to space, will only allow for one car per graduate to be admitted into the event. Only cars, trucks, passenger vans, and SUVs (no larger than a suburban) will be allowed into the event. No RVs, buses, or other large vehicles will be allowed into the Fortress Obetz lot. This restriction is needed in order to allow necessary spacing for each graduate’s automobile to park in the lot arrangement. Franklin County Public Health officials also told us there can only be a maximum of five people in each vehicle, which would be the graduate plus four family members.
Since the county established these passenger limitations, we will provide live streaming of your graduation event through our YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter accounts, which will provide several ways for your family and friends to watch you receive your diploma.
I know state orders, guidelines, and recommendations related to COVID-19 have changed a lot this week, and there are many opinions as to how we should conduct business. Please know that we will continue to monitor state and county public health decisions and make allowable modifications to our event in order to provide you with the best graduation possible.
I believe each and every one of you, and your families, will follow all necessary rules and parameters that we will require related to conducting graduation.
Everyone in our district is eager to celebrate your achievement. You have sacrificed a lot over the last quarter of the school year, and I hope you are as excited about this event as I am!
I look forward to seeing you at Fortress Obetz in your caps and gowns at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, 2020 to celebrate your achievement in becoming a graduate in the Hamilton Township High School Class of 2020!
Sincerely,
Mark Tyler, Superintendent
Hamilton Local School District