AMHERST — Amherst Regional High School seniors will have a one-of-a-kind graduation when a daylong ceremony is held on May 27.
Beginning at 8 a.m., seniors will gather in groups to don their caps and gowns and receive diplomas, while they and their families practice social distancing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic by remaining in their vehicles.
Families are being encouraged to decorate their vehicles in an appropriate way and honk their horns as part of the celebration.
Parents and guardians will be able to take pictures of their seniors and a professional photographer will be on hand.
The graduation day will be preceded by the final time that seniors can walk through the halls of the building, both to pick up their graduation wardrobes and senior awards, as well as clean out their lockers and return items that belong to the school.
In the weeks leading up to graduation, lawn signs were delivered by high school staff to each senior, whether living in Amherst, Leverett, Pelham or Shutesbury, or a nearby community.
Parent Suzanne Schilling offered thanks for this in public comments to the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee, noting the assistance from parent and staff member Patricia Taylor for coordinating the sign delivery and others who participated.
“I wanted to recognize the selflessness and generosity of ARHS staff today to bring a bright light to the class of 2020 in delivering lawn signs to students,” Schilling wrote in her remarks. “It was a sweet surprise for the students today, and took a lot of coordination and effort.”
Memorial Day will be a virtual event on Monday to maintain safe social distancing while still honoring those who gave their lives in service to the United States.
The Town Council adopted a proclamation this week urging residents to “recognize the sacrifice of past residents” and remember them on that day.
Speeches and other local tributes will be broadcast online, with the annual parade and event at War Memorial Pool canceled.
A formal decision on Independence Day celebrations has not been made by the town, but Town Manager Paul Bockelman said those events are also unlikely to be held, in part because of the costs of fireworks. “The numbers are not going to be in our favor for doing that,” Bockelman told the Town Council.
The Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee will hold a hearing May 27 at 4 p.m. to discuss activities that could be covered using federal CARES Act funding.
People can go to the virtual meeting at amherstma.zoom.us/j/93320997117 to hear proposed activities from organizations and agencies that are addressing the immediate needs of COVID-19 through micro-enterprise assistance programs and social services.
Agencies that are proposing an activity should write an activity description that meets the criteria outlined by the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development, and to include a budget for the proposed activity.
The state agency will make awards taking into account aspects including community need, cost and ability to deliver.
A project to refurbish the main doors at Town Hall has been completed.
Bockelman said the historic doors and the frame surrounding them were reinstalled this week, with the doors now significantly easier to open.
Town Hall remains closed to the public for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amherst is seeking donations of materials for masks, and volunteers who can sew them, as face coverings for people who go to stores and restaurants and can’t safely social distance outdoors remain in demand.
For more information about how to help with the initiative, go to amherstma.gov/getinvolved.
THURSDAY: Historical Commission, 4 p.m., and Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m., both via Zoom app.
FRIDAY: Jones Library trustees, 4 p.m., via Zoom app.
