Prescott High School producing congratulatory video for 2020 graduates

Prescott High School faculty want to figure out a way for seniors to feel a little less cheated out of their final year celebrations and still keep everybody safe and socially connected at proper physical distances.

Their brainstorming efforts have unveiled a number of potential plans – with the possibility of a late summer-before college-begins graduation ceremony on Bill Shepard’s Field – with one launched this week.

“Anything that’s doable we’re going to do,” declared Prescott High Principal Mark Goligoski.

Thanks to the technological and filmmaking prowess of a Yavapai County Co-Teacher of the Year Robyn Bryce, Goligoski said a congratulatory Class of 2020 video is to be produced to celebrate all of the graduates in a meaningful fashion.

PHS this year will have over 300 seniors eligible to earn a diploma; an exact number will be known closer to the end of the scheduled school year.

On Tuesday afternoon, Prescott Unified School District’s Marketing Director Rebecca Horniman released an appeal that invites anyone – students, family members, teachers, business owners, civic leaders, Badger alumni - who wishes to do so to submit their own video, photos and graphic images such as signs or congratulatory posters honoring their prized graduate: “HELP PHS CELEBRATE THE CLASS OF 2020.”

“Even though times are uncertain, we are sure about the love we have for our graduating seniors, and we need your help,” reads the public appeal posted on the district Facebook page.

“Just love, love, love for these kids,” Bryce said is what she hopes to produce from what is contributed.

The way it will work is that people will record their own messages, send photos or images celebrating either an individual senior or the Class of 2020 and Bryce – the Badger “media gnome” – will edit the clips and images together into a “multi-media quilt of love.”

“The more I get, the happier I am,” Bryce said of the technology that will allow her to collect as much material as people wish to send.

On the scheduled Class of 2020 graduation date, May 22, Bryce will release the video clip to all the district social media sites. She has high hopes that there will be enough messages to compose up to an hour-long session celebrating the seniors – and the video will be broadcast over the Jumbitron at Bill Shepard Field.

No graduates or guests will be in attendance, but Bryce assured the graduates will still be the stars of the night.

“Whenever I talk to anyone in the community about how things are going, and some of the challenges we’re having right now, everyone brings up concerns for our seniors, and how we can still salvage some special moments for them,” said District Superintendent Joe Howard. “This is a great way to personalize, and allow people to share their true love for our kids, and really celebrate them.

“We’re finding lots of silver linings in this fairly tragic situation. This is one.”

Once COVID-19 is no longer the social threat it is now, the Class of 2020 will have a traditional commencement ceremony, Howard and Goligoski assured. Goligoski said his hope is it will coincide with the beginning of the new school year prior to the graduates headed off to college, the military or other career plans.

In the meantime, though, Bryce and everyone in the district is doing whatever they can think to do to honor this deserving senior class.

“This year’s seniors are missing out on a lot of milestones – but we will still honor them on May 22 when they were supposed to be walking across the stage,” Bryce said. “This is something really cool we can do. Just put out all the love.”

Follow Nanci Hutson on Twitter @HutsonNanci. Reach her at 928-445-3333 ext. 2041.