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Administrators reminding people to keep to schedule as MCPS seniors graduate

MCPS builds updated new administration building
Posted at 10:38 PM, Jun 04, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-05 09:41:47-04

MISSOULA — School administrators are asking for parents and guests to try to not congregate outside Washington Grizzly Stadium as hundreds of seniors graduate on Friday.

MCPS' urban high schools began Commencement ceremonies in the stadium Thursday afternoon with Willard Alternative High School graduates. But the real crowds come tomorrow, as Hellgate, Sentinel and Big Sky seniors and their guests will filter through three different ceremonies.

Health officials allowed MCPS to conduct the graduations as long as graduates wore masks and crowd sizes adhered to social distancing. Guests are also encouraged to wear masks.

MCPS Superintendent Rob Watson says the district is also hoping parents will limit their time in the stadium -- as well as congregating outside -- for safety reasons.

"One of the things that we always do because we have all three on the same day is we try not to make them very long," Watson said. "In fact these will probably even be shorter than we've had in the past and that will allow enough time between ceremonies for the parking lots to clear out before the next group arrives. It will also allow time for us to sanitize the venue and get it set up for the next group."

Watson has said the opportunity to hold graduation is a privilege he didn't think would be possible just a few weeks ago, and he asks for everyone's cooperation.