In the face of COVID-19 and summer heat, Southeast High graduates remain optimistic

Families braved summer temperatures and COVID-19 fears to celebrate Southeast High School’s 2020 graduates on Monday morning.

With “Proud Mom” imprinted on her cloth mask, a woman parked off Ninth Street West and walked to the entrance of LECOM Park, the host of Monday’s graduation.

There were moments of normalcy at the ceremony. Parents held signs, balloons and flowers, waving to the young men and women while “Pomp and Circumstance,” a traditional graduation song, echoed throughout the park.

But signs of the COVID-19 pandemic were everywhere. Smiles were covered by masks, hand sanitizer lined the park and visitors received a grim reminder over the speaker system:

“COVID-19 is an extremely dangerous and contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death. An inherent risk exists in any place where people are present. Please remember that by visiting LECOM Park you are voluntarily acknowledging and agreeing to assume all risk related to the exposure to this disease.”

LECOM Park, the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, agreed to host this event after an indoor ceremony became too risky. Graduations were previously scheduled for mid-May at the Bradenton Area Convention Center.

The stadium offered assigned seats, fresh air and the ability for groups to spread out, but the challenge of an outdoor graduation became clear as temperatures climbed past 80 degrees.

Some people used umbrellas to hide from the glaring sun. Many others fanned themselves with an event brochure, and at least one person required medical attention.

The heat overwhelmed three graduates, who were given water and moved to an air-conditioned room. Paramedics also transported a woman to the hospital after she fell in a “heat-related” incident, said William Thayer, the operations chief for West Coast-Southern Medical Services.

The last several months were challenging for the staff and students at Southeast High School, and Monday was no exception, but the graduates focused on hope and perseverance in their commencement speeches.

“In school, we have learned through countless examples and subjects to do the best we can with the scenario we were given,” Hailey Maurer said, standing near the pitcher’s mound. “In life, we learned the same lesson.”

Monday was both a graduation and a reunion for the Class of 2020. About four months ago, Manatee County students left for spring break and never returned, as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered schools.

“I would have never thought that we would be sitting in our homes, self-quarantined from a global pandemic during our final time as high school students,” said Akash Boggavarapu, another commencement speaker.

Schools throughout Florida remained closed after the break last March, finishing out the year with online classes, while graduating seniors missed out on prom and other celebrations.

Their moment came on Monday morning, and Boggavarapu encouraged his peers to enjoy the day. No pandemic could steal their memories from the last four years, nor could it stifle their motivations in the future, he said.

“The world has only become stronger after turmoil, and it lays in the hands of our generation to shape the future we want to experience.”

Ximena Chafloque said the Class of 2020 was connected by shared experiences, both good and bad, over the last four years. Despite the ongoing struggle created by COVID-19, their accomplishments were ingrained in the history of Southeast High School.

Many of the graduates will soon enter colleges, trade schools or the armed forces, but on Monday morning, Chafloque called for a moment of reflection.

“We’ve all gone through the triumphs and hardships of high school, and we finally made it to graduation day,” she said.

This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 2:49 PM.