Georgia\u2019s high school seniors won\u2019t be turning their tassels or tossing their caps for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
School entrances are locked, classrooms are silent and large gatherings are off limits, all part of the loss the COVID-19 epidemic exacted as it put an end to life as usual for Georgia students. Gov. Brian Kemp announced last week he will close all schools<\/a> through the rest of the spring with classes to continue online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That means canceled seasons for athletes, indefinitely shelved school proms and 12th graders apparently deprived of their ceremonial graduation walk into adulthood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And it all ended so quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe thing I was looking forward to about graduation was being able to see all my friends walk across the stage after all the hard work we have all put into this,\u201d said Camden<\/a> County High School senior Jordan Billups. \u201cSome days throughout the years weren\u2019t easy, but we didn\u2019t make it this far to let everything go. Also, just saying our final goodbyes to each other, even if we didn\u2019t see each other after that moment. Our last day of school technically was March 16, and I didn\u2019t get a chance to say goodbye to any of my friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Billups plans to take his diploma from Camden County High on the southeast coast of the state to Valdosta, but he said he\u2019ll rush home if his school holds a delayed graduation ceremony after the danger of infection is reduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou only graduate high school once, and I wouldn\u2019t want to miss out on walking,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Camden County\u2019s system, like most of Georgia\u2019s public school districts, is telling students it\u2019s still working on new arrangements for late-year events such as prom, yearbook sales and graduation. According to its website, Camden County High School will be distributing caps and gowns to students who drive up to the school later this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clayton County Schools sent a survey to seniors asking what kind of graduation they would like. The poll proved popular, said Superintendent Morcease Beasley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe sent it to seniors, and I know we normally have about 3,000 or so seniors, but over 5,000, almost 6,000, responded, so clearly, I\u2019ve got more seniors than what the data would suggest,\u201d he joked in a video broadcast to students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Morcease said the most popular option for students was holding a traditional graduation ceremony, whenever public health officials deem it safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou basically shared with your superintendent that you would prefer that we postpone graduations first, to possibly be held in June, July or August, whichever month we\u2019re allowed to do it, and that\u2019s the direction that we would like to lean in,\u201d he said, adding that student feedback will be taken into account whenever a final decision is made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some districts are considering virtual graduations. In the past, these virtual ceremonies were associated with online degree programs. Some consist of live-streamed programs in which speakers address the graduates remotely and school administrators read the names of graduates to people watching computer screens at home. Other online ceremonies are more elaborate, taking place in virtual worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n