Our tiny town in West Virginia has a senior class of 14 students. Due to the coronavirus, their graduation ceremony was canceled. Rather than allowing our students’ achievement to go unacknowledged, neighbors rallied the community to creatively celebrate our students.
Everyone was asked to drive to the school parking lot Friday, May 1st at 8:30 pm. We were instructed to keep our headlights on and honk as students rode by in cars. We were told to stay in our cars. We were also asked to turn on our porch lights. The finale would be a parade of cars driving through town.
The health department caught wind of our plan to honor our students and canceled the parade; claiming a “parade” is a health risk.
When Friday evening arrived, over 40 cars showed up to celebrate our students. While a parade would not be permitted, there is not a law against cars following each other.
After honking our horns as the senior class graduates drove by, the fire engine, ambulance, and city water truck followed the students flashing their lights with sirens blasting. Residents filed in behind honking their horns as we drove through town. This was not a parade. We were simply cars following each other. It was awesome! We always find a way. We are Americans!
