Atlantic High School Principal Heather McKay, today (Wednesday), outlined the current plans for Prom, Senior Class Night, Senior Cruise Night (in place of traditional Drumline March), and Commencement.

Prom Information:

Prom has been rescheduled for July 11. If restrictions have been lifted AHS will host the event with all of its activities. This is dependent upon guidance from Governor Reynolds, the IDPH, and the CDC. Our final decision will be made on June 30. If we cannot have it on July 11, it will not be rescheduled.

Senior Class Night Information:

Senior Class Night will be shown/live-streamed on www.kjan.com through the KJAN website and will take place Thursday, May 21 at 6 PM. Only designated personnel will be present for the stream. If you miss the live-stream, it will be archived on the district’s website and the district Facebook page. Please join AHS staff remotely that evening as Atlantic students are honored for their hard work and dedication.

• School personnel or scholarship representatives will announce recipients for scholarships, academic awards, and other special recognitions.
• Recipients’ photos will be displayed.

Commencement Information: 

Atlantic Community Schools desires to have a traditional in-person ceremony for the Class of 2020. That ceremony has been rescheduled to Sunday, July 19 at 2 PM in the AHS gymnasium. Commencement rehearsal will be Wednesday, July 15 at 10 AM in the high school gymnasium. This all is dependent upon guidance from Governor Reynolds, the IDPH, and the CDC. Our final decision will be made on July 8.

Sunday, May 24: A commencement ceremony will be conducted as originally scheduled for Sunday, May 24 at 2:00 p.m. and will take place via a digital format provided by Jostens. At 2 PM on Sunday, May 24, you can enter a previously supplied password that will be sent from me and view the ceremony from the convenience of your home or any remote location. The ceremony will be archived on the district Facebook and web page. School officials will be asking for your help to make this experience as authentic as possible. District personnel considered many options for electronic graduation and believe this is the most personable.

1. Here is the process we are using to create the digital media ceremony:

• Seniors and a maximum of four guests will sign up for a 20-minute time slot as outlined below.
• The graduate will cross the auditorium stage wearing his/her cap and gown partnered with nice attire and dress shoes.
• Each graduate will hear his/her name read (this will be videotaped and photographed). Guests are welcome to take all the individual videos and photographs they would like. We will also have a photographer available.
• Graduates, please select who of your parents/guests will hand you the diploma cover. The diploma cover will be placed on a table to be collected for each graduate.

Graduates will be staggered so sanitizing procedures can be implemented between each individual. Graduates and guests will enter through the front entrance auditorium doors. The exit door will be stage right – we will guide you through this process.

2. Please sign up for a time for your walk to https://www.myconferencetime.com/acsd/schedule/405798 If the available timeframes will not work, special times can be arranged. Please email hmckay@atlanticiaschools.org to do so.

Details:

• Each graduate can invite up to four guests to stay in compliance.
• Honors Graduates will be given their medals, stoles, and/or cords prior to their walk.
• If the Sunday, July 19 ceremony is allowed to take place, we ask that each graduate return their diploma cover to us prior to the ceremony so it can be redistributed.

“Drumline March” Cruise Night Information:

A tradition AHS started several years ago was a final march through the schools. This will be modified with a cruise through town.

• At 3:30 PM, Sunday, May 24, we ask that seniors and parents and one additional vehicle of guests, if desired (i.e. grandparents), meet in the high school parking lot.
• Seniors, please wear your caps and tassels as a way to identify you as the graduate to the public and sit in the passenger seat of the vehicle.
• Your car will be given a poster to tape safely to the outside of your vehicle as we do for Homecoming parades.
• It is important that all stay in the vehicles while in the parking lot and the cruise.
• We need to be sure to follow all traffic rules and noise ordinances as we will not have a police escort.
• At 4 PM we will begin a cruise from the high school down to the Depot. We will have a special broadcast aired via KS95.7 during the parade and KJAN will live-stream it.
• The route
  • High school
  • West on 14th St, passed Washington Elementary to Maple St.
  • North on Maple to 10th St.
  • Turn East on 10th to head south on Linn St.
  • Turn on Ed Podolak Drive to pass AMS and Schuler Elementary
  • East to Olive St.
  • North to 10th St.
  • West on 10th St. to Chestnut St.
  • North on Chestnut St. (There will be a platform we ask each car to pause at. An announcer will introduce the graduate, his/her parents/guardians, and plans for after high school)
  • To the Depot
  • After U-turn at the Depot, turn west on 2nd St. to conclude the route
• Please ask anyone who watches the cruise to maintain social distancing.