High Schools In North Central Florida Proceed With Prom And Graduation
By Alexa Sauvagere
April 8, 2021
Last spring, high schools got creative for the class of 2020’s graduation ceremonies.
Families gathered in their cars and lined the track of the Gainesville Raceway instead of sitting in an auditorium. Cameras surrounded the stage to capture a live stream for those who could not attend. Graduating seniors walked across the stage as their names blasted through the loudspeakers, then they went back into their cars.
The local TV station, CBS-4, aired primetime events dedicated to all the graduating high school seniors of Class of 2020. Each high school in Alachua County had its own half-hour segment filled with speeches, musical performances and graduation photos. The Gainesville Sun also published a commemorative spread that included students’ pictures along with their names.
Six of Marion County s seven public high schools are pursuing contracts to hold graduation ceremonies at the Hunter Land Stadium on the grounds of the new World Equestrian Center (WEC).
The news came Monday during a lengthy special Marion County School Board work session about an array of topics. The ceremonies would be held at WEC s newly constructed 6,000-seat stadium, where hunter/jumper competitions are held.
And, unlike last year s two tickets, each graduate would get six. During the 2020 graduations, some parents and students, as well as a School Board member, protested because of the two-ticket limit set due to COVID-19 concerns.
Saddle up! The Black Stallion Reading Project is back in Marion schools ocala.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ocala.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Marion County is not alone. This vaccination trend is occurring all across Florida and the United States.
Area officials say the vaccine disparity in communities of color is a result of many factors. Among them: hesitancy due to distrust, lack of reliable transportation and lack of reliable technology/internet access to make appointments.
Some Black community leaders note that many who live in low-income communities, no matter their race, can t afford television service, or a newspaper subscription, to get vital real-time updates of when vaccines become available.
Local Black leaders say that the disparity is not from a lack of trying. Three community outreach vaccination events have been held at Black churches around Ocala, and a fourth will be held March 18 in Reddick.
Marion County Black Residents Get Just 4.6% of Vaccinations
Officials say the vaccine disparity in communities of color is a result of many factors including hesitancy due to distrust, lack of reliable transportation and lack of reliable technology/Internet access for scheduling. by Joe Callahan, Ocala Star-Banner, Fla. / March 11, 2021 TNS
(TNS) - Only 4.6% of Marion County s COVID-19 vaccinations have made it into the arms of Black residents, who make up 13.5% of the county s population and 12% of the 877 local coronavirus deaths that have been reported so far.
Marion County is not alone. This vaccination trend is occurring all across Florida and the United States.