High school seniors across central Ohio are starting to receive their diplomas and turn their tassels.
And, in a welcome change, the process looks very different than it did last year.
Many school districts are holding in-person graduations this commencement season, a much-anticipated celebration after COVID-19 upended graduations for the Class of 2020.
Last year, high schools were forced to pivot and host virtual ceremonies in the early months of the pandemic. Some had drive-by graduations in which graduates hopped out of their cars, posed for a photo with their diploma and drove off or found other creative ways to honor their students.
When he learned his senior year of high school would be happening on a computer, it didn t take long for Jalen Walker to lose the motivation to keep his grades up. I was very behind. I wasn t even bothering to open my computer, said the 18-year-old, who attends Eastmoor Academy High School. I didn t adjust well.
He credits IMPACT Community Action, a South Side nonprofit group that is helping students navigate online schooling, with helping him regain his confidence. Walker has passed online credit-recovery classes to get back on track, and is set to walk across the stage with his classmates at graduation, he said.