BEATRICE - It was an unusual graduation in an untypical year. The latest graduates of Beatrice High School received a one-of-kind recognition, Friday night.
The class of 2020 at Beatrice High School certainly won’t be easy to forget. Graduating during a pandemic, losing their last quarter of in-school time….and graduating in a parking lot, in a drive-up ceremony Friday night where parents and friends showed their support by honking horns.


Principal Jason Sutter said for the graduates, “it’s been rough on you, and a raw deal on many levels”.
"We developed a cruise night, we did flip grids, we set up a tribute video, we did a virtual honors night, we did a senior slide show, we've got a billboard, yard signs, souvenir face masks and we've provided this unconventional graduation ceremony. We do that, because we want you to know we've missed you, and your school cares deeply about you".


Speaking before families who remained in their vehicles while hearing the ceremony on KWBE radio and a public address system, Sutter said the fourth quarter of the senior year is often charged with positive energy. He said there are silver linings as seniors deal with disappointment, frustration and stress of having their final year interrupted.


"You are living through a time in history, that will be looked back on as a time of monumental change. We may never get back to one hundred percent normal...so, this class is change agents. You will be looked at by society to make changes on how things are done, how things work, and what the future holds. Much of what the future looks like will be set by you...what an awesome opportunity".  Sutter asked the graduates to remain positive, even though it might be easy to be bitter.


There are around 140 graduates in the BHS Class of 2020….a class that began their public education during the tragedy of nine-eleven. Class speaker, Holly Fischer, describing her own struggle with anorexia, said hard times push people to the edge of themselves. But she said, if you press into the discomfort and pain of such situations, the process can be similar to when a diamond is formed.


"We are at a time where life doesn't make a whole lot of sense and we do not know what each day holds. But, my wish in this unique ending to a chapter in our lives, is that we do not view this major bump in the road as a bad thing, but that we trust there is light that will come from it".
Before Fischer left the stage, she took a selfie to catch the many cars in the background.


Fischer was one of six co-valedictorians in the class….joined by Boden Ruskamp, Isabella Ruskamp, Alexis Schwartz, Whitney Schwisow and Sydney Southwick.


Schwisow told the drive-up audience, “I don’t think any of us could have seen this coming”.
"But, our class will more importantly be remembered because of our hearts. Our class is filled with some of the most genuine and hard-working people I have ever met. Each and every one of us strives for greatness in everything we do....which is a quality that will take us very far in our lives".


The Beatrice Public Schools contracted with a Des Moines, Iowa company to provide the stage, sound system and video display….a company facing a ten-hour overnight drive to put on a similar graduation Saturday night, in Minnesota.


BHS graduates were able to keep social distancing in mind, as they walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. Parents could get out of their vehicles briefly, to take photos at the front of the stage.