Class of 2020 parade

The traditional graduation ceremony has been replaced in 2020 with innovative celebrations after the coronavirus pandemic interrupted America’s education system. One of the grandest of these celebrations was a graduation parade held last Friday. On relatively short notice, Putnam County Charter School System and Gatewood Schools spearheaded the community affair, obtaining unanimous approval from Eatonton City Council to allow the parade. The school systems sent out a notice inviting everyone to cheer their graduates from a safe distance as they drove through downtown Eatonton. Police Chief Kent Lawrence and his family led the show followed by a shiny fire engine and Putnam County school bus. Some honorees drove themselves but most were chauffeured by family members and friends. The graduates waved from the backs of trucks, jeeps and trunks; from the top of convertibles and SUVs; and from the seat of uniquely decorated golf carts. Fanfare from the sidewalks filled the air as graduates passed by in the parade of vehicles decorated with signs, balloons, banners and posters, celebrating the Class of 2020. Photos by SHANNON SNEED / Staff

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MAKING HISTORY

“Unprecedented,” Morgan County High School Principal Dr. Miki Edwards wrote in her address to the Class of 2020 commencement letter. “It is a word that has become a staple in our collective vocabulary over the past several months as we’ve been experiencing a pandemic. It is an adjective to describe the uncertainty of this time.”