Biddeford High School graduation goes to the big screen

BIDDEFORD — Biddeford High School students will have a drive-in graduation ceremony this year at the Saco Drive-In.

With social distancing practices in place, the traditional graduation ceremony with a large gathering of people wasn’t an option for June. School officials brainstormed and came up with a plan that includes the highlights of a traditional ceremony yet keeps people physically distanced.

With the help of the film department from Thornton Academy, various aspects of graduation such as small groups of students marching and walking across stage in caps and gowns and class speakers reading speeches will be recorded and compiled into a graduation film that will be shown after dark, at 9 p.m., on June 17 at the Saco Drive-In. All families will be provided with a professional photograph of their graduate holding their diploma.

Students and their families can watch the graduation film in their cars at the Drive-In parking lot. The graduation ceremony movie will also be shown online for those unable to go to the Saco Drive-In, said Superintendent of Schools Jeremy Ray, who with Biddeford High School Principal Jeremie Sirois, announced the plan at Tuesday’s School Committee meeting.

“We think we can make this a safe experience for students,” said Ray.

Ray said with students missing out on activities this year, the school department wanted to find a way for seniors to still be able to hold a graduation ceremony. He said the school officials decided it was best to hold the ceremony in June instead of waiting until August, as some graduates at that time will be working or starting military service and won’t be able to make it to a commencement ceremony.

“I personally like the thought of doing this earlier rather than later,” said School Committee member Amy Grohman.

Mayor Alan Casavant, who chairs the School Committee, applauded staff for coming up with a creative solution after being dealt a bad hand.

“I think it’s an outstanding idea,” he said.

School Committee Member Rebecca Henry said she thought the drive-in idea was a very innovative way to have graduation done on a timely basis and include all the students, and she hoped that the community embraced the school department’s good faith effort.