This is the rough draft of the email I wish to send to Mr. Williams and Mr. Carpenter. This explains some ways we can still have a celebration with all our peers and possibly a way to see the staff at Northern High School. Before I email them I would greatly appreciate it if my fellow peers could sign this stating that you truly want a way to say your goodbyes and attempt to have a traditional graduation.

"Good afternoon,

My name is Riley Minner and I just graduated from Northern High School this year. Sadly the Corona Virus stopped our senior year quickly I am thankful for the many memories created at this school. Over quarantine, some friends and I have been thinking of ways we could all still have a chance to say our goodbyes to the teachers, staff, and other students. After seeing what other schools across the county and state, we have some ideas i’d like to present to you....

1. A video was uploaded from a school on social media where they had students drive through the school parking lots and paths as teachers/staff stood on the sides with signs. This would be a way we could all say our goodbyes to the amazing staff that have helped us complete our senior year and helped us through more.
2. Students have also seen videos of other schools graduating on football fields. No parents involved, just students and staff. We all sit on the football field in our caps and gowns and masks, 6 feet apart, so we can watch each individual walk across a stage. This would allow us to hear our class president and Distinction Representative speak along with many others on the stage. A traditional graduation is extremely important to many of us, we have watched past friends graduate and it is upsetting for us to not get this opportunity. We understand that the virus is making things difficult but we would like to try still. I would really like to see this happen if possible.
3. Other schools, like Calvert, are having parades. This is a way for everyone to say there goodbyes and decorate their cars. It’s similar to the first idea.

I have talked to many fellow classmates about these ideas and each person I have reached out to has loved the ideas, including parents. We would like to still have the ceremony that the school has planned during July, but we would like to have a way for each student to see each other. Many of us want to show our accomplishments and say goodbye to the staff that helped us reach this point in life. It is disappointing that we cannot close this chapter of our life the way we want it to and our last year of high school has been cut short. Some of us will have the chance to graduate college and have that celebration but many students will not have that opportunity due to different job fields and other situations.

Graduation is a milestone, this is a way for us to close this chapter and say hello to a new one. We have earned this, we went to school for 12 years, looking forward to the day where we watch our fellow peers graduate, us all together one last time. We expected to go back to school and see our teachers and classmates, we didn’t get to say our goodbyes, we didn’t get to thank our friends and staff for having our back for years. The next time we take a test it will be in a new school, new teachers, new environment. We didn’t get to say our goodbyes to the old one. We want this opportunity before we head off into the real world.

Please feel free to contact me to discuss this more. I can even do a zoom meeting if that is easier. Thank you for your time"