MCS to hold safe in-person high school graduation

As a prelude to graduation, Mount Carmel School’s Class of 1990 recently funded Project Familia’s banners showcasing the school’s graduating Class of 2020. (Contributed Photo)

Mount Carmel School announced this week that, after working with Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ COVID-19 Task Force, it will be able to hold an in-person high school graduation ceremony.

The ceremony is slated for Saturday, June 20, at 4pm at Mount Carmel Cathedral and will follow several safety protocols, including those that have recently been issued for churches and houses of worship.

“We truly appreciate the guidance and support of Gov. Torres and his COVID-19 Task Force for helping us make this graduation both possible and safe for our students and their families,” said school president Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero. “We especially appreciate all the help we have received from [Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. CEO Esther Muña and task force chair Warren Villagomez.”

To ensure the safety of graduates, their families and friends, and school officials that will participate in the ceremony, the school will enforce strict safety measures that comply with all current social distancing and mitigation guidelines that have been set forth by the COVID-19 Task Force. Primarily, attendance will be limited to 25% capacity of the cathedral, based on occupancy assessments from the CNMI Department of Public Works. To that end, a limited number of participation tickets will be issued to graduates and their families. Live-streaming of the ceremony will also be facilitated to accommodate family and friends that cannot attend due to the 25% capacity limit.

In addition, all participants will be required to wear face masks, and face masks will be provided to anyone that does not have one readily available. Participants will be also required to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from each other, with markers and barriers laid out to guide them. Furthermore, the cathedral will be professionally cleaned and disinfected prior to the graduation and hand sanitizers will be available at each entrance point of the cathedral. Trained ushers wearing personal protective equipment will also be present to help enforce these safety measures. Additional safety protocols will be developed and implemented as the school prepares for the graduation.

“All our high school graduation ceremonies have historically been held in the cathedral, so this will be fitting and moving homecoming of sorts,” Deleon Guerrero noted.

For more questions about the graduation or the school, visit the school’s website at www.mountcarmelsaipan.com. (PR)