Beverly Hills Graduations Will Be In-Person, District Announces

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — On Monday, the Beverly Hills Unified School District announced there will be a happy ending to a hard year.

The district announced Monday morning that all graduations will be held in person at different school sites. Hawthorne and Horace Mann elementary schools will hold their on-site ceremonies on June 8, Beverly Vista Middle School June 9, and Beverly Hills High School on June 10.

The district said that it is still figuring out the exact times, seating capacity and social distancing modifications, and streaming details.

Last year, Beverly Hills schools only held virtual ceremonies. Beverly Hills High School originally planned to have a “Diploma Drive” allowing seniors to pick up their diplomas outside the school and pose for a socially distanced cap and gown photo with BHS Principal Mark Mead.

In an unfortunate series of events emblematic of 2020, the Diploma Drive was canceled after Los Angeles County banned car parades. Just before Memorial Day, LA County allowed car parades again with restrictions, and it was back on. Then just a week before, the protests and curfews began, and after consulting with the city manager and the Beverly Hills Police, the district decided to postpone the event once again. Instead, Mead and Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy hand-delivered diplomas at the home of around 60 graduating seniors.

Yard signs, door decorations, and virtual parties, award ceremonies, retrospectives, and a colorful virtual ceremony helped soften the blow, but the classes of 2021 will likely herald the news that they will have a traditional graduation ceremony.

As of April 8, all students who wish to return to Beverly Hills schools have returned, alternating between in-person learning 2-3 times per week, online learning, and asynchronous learning.

“We’re just so excited, our kids are excited, and as of today, all of our schools are reopened for in-person learning. Welcome back!” Bregy said in a Facebook post last Thursday, where he thanked the staff, PTA, and the city of Beverly Hills.