Graduations Scheduled For Class Of 2021
Sybastian Dunn celebrates after graduating from Mercer County Senior High School back in 2019. The class of 2021 will receive their diplomas this May, and many schools are planning in-person ceremonies. (File image.)
Editor’s Note: This version includes information received after the paper version had been sent to the printer.
Robert Moore
Herald Staff
rmoore@harrodsburgherald.com
While the pandemic continues to have an impact, many local schools are holding in-person graduation ceremonies this year.
Mercer County Senior High School will hold their graduation ceremony at Alvis Johnson Stadium on Friday, May 28, at 7 p.m.
According to the school website, details are still being finalized, including how many guests each senior may invite. The ceremony is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend, so if the weather does not cooperate on Friday, they have a four-day window. For more information, visit www.mercer.kyschools.us.
Burgin Independent High School has announced their graduation will be held in-person on Friday, May 21. For more information, visit burginschool.com.
While some local colleges are planning on holding in-person graduation ceremonies, Bluegrass Community and Technical College is not.
BCTC is holding drive-through ceremonies at their Danville campus on Friday, May 7, from 4 to 4:30 p.m. and at their Lawrenceburg campus from 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. on the same day. For more information, including the drive-through routes, visit bluegrass.kctcs.edu.
Both Campbellsville University and Centre College are having in-person ceremonies this year, although in both cases, they will be different than past celebrations.
According to a press release, Campbellsville will hold scaled-down commencement ceremonies at all seven individual schools—including Campbellsville University Harrodsburg—tentatively set for May 1 at 7 p.m.
Because of the pandemic, the number of guests per graduate will be limited and the ceremonies will all take place in Ransdell Chapel in Campbellsville.
The ceremonies will be live streamed on social media. There will also be a virtual graduation production that will air on social media and TV, Comcast Cable channel 10 and digital channel 15. Friends and families may watch the ceremonies on the Campbellsville University Facebook page or at www.wlcutv.com.
For more information, visit www.campbellsville.edu.
Centre College in Danville is holding their 198th Commencement on the Festival Lawn on the weekend of May 21-22, with the traditional Baccalaureate ceremony on Friday and commencement exercises on Saturday, followed by a picnic lunch.
The Class of 2020 will return to Centre on the weekend of May 29-30 to hold their own in-person, outdoor commencement events, which were postponed last year.
Current safety guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials will limit guests to two per graduate. Proof of a negative COVID-19 test or full vaccination will be required seven days prior to arriving on campus. Even if fully vaccinated, masks must be worn and social distancing observed by all participants, who will need to register and undergo temperature checks while on campus.
All ceremonies will be live-streamed and available to watch on the Centre website, with recordings made available to graduates and their families.
In the event of rain, graduates will relocate to the Norton Center for the Arts for the ceremonies, with guests watching from satellite locations spread across campus. For more information, visit www.centre.edu.
