HCHS may have "the largest graduation crowd" in its history – Now Habersham

This Friday, 450 Habersham Central High School seniors and 17 seniors from the Habersham Success Academy will receive their diplomas. Graduation will proceed as normal without strict COVID-19 safety protocol.

County school superintendent Matthew Cooper believes this years graduation may bring the largest graduation crowd in the history of Habersham Central, after he and HCHS Principal Jonathan Stribling made the decision to host a normal graduation.

The last seventeen months have been difficult for education, with the COVID-19 pandemic sending the class of 2020 into virtual learning and causing many graduations across the country to be canceled. Habersham Schools have set themselves apart from many school systems in Georgia, choosing to hold in-person classes in the 2020-2021 school year, with a brief return to online learning in January due to rising COVID-19 cases among faculty and staff.

We had the hope that here in Habersham County we could deal with it [the COVID-19 Pandemic] as good as anyone and better than most, Cooper tells Now Habersham. Over the course of this school year we overcame many challenges. Despite some unknowns, our administrators, teachers, support staff, parents, and students responded time and again with grace and strength. Throughout this year, the Habersham County School System has not wavered in its commitment to our mission of Success for all Students.'

With COVID-19 vaccines readily available throughout the county, and many staff fully vaccinated, a return to normal learning is in the cards. The school system plans to return to school as usual this August. This graduation serves as more than a celebration of the students who overcame the challenges of receiving an education during a global pandemic, it also serves as a light at the end of a long, dark tunnel for the Habersham community.

The HCHS class of 2021 navigated this unique school year with focus, patience, and grace, Stribling says. This graduation promises to be a memorable event for the Class of 2021 and their families.

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HCHS may have "the largest graduation crowd" in its history - Now Habersham