Beverly Hills High Celebrates 2020's Graduates

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — What a year. After enduring a challenging semester of pandemics, protests, and curfews, Beverly Hills High seniors were set to finally graduate Thursday morning in a virtual ceremony featuring student speeches, original student musical pieces, and slideshows and videos of happier times.

The graduation was slated to air on Spectrum Channel 6 or at kbev6.com/live beginning at 9 a.m.

“We, the Beverly Hills Unified School District, at this time of heartbreak, invite you to help us lift our Seniors up,” Beverly Hills Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy wrote in a Tuesday email. “On Thursday, they were supposed to be graduating High School physically together.”

Even though the virtual graduation is taking place, widespread demonstrations and resulting curfews have once again put a damper on other planned events.

On Tuesday, the district announced that physical events like the end of the year check out and book drop were canceled. The June 4 diploma drive — in which one student at time would pose in cap and gowns with their diploma at the school and take a socially distanced photograph with Beverly Hills High School Principal Mark Mead — has also been postponed.

The fate of the Diploma Drive seems to be a symbol of these chaotic times. In May it 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.

“I’m sure you will understand the direct impact logistically to our District is the depleted resources we are normally provided from the City, BHPD, and traffic control,” Bregy wrote in an email to parents and students, where he also shared resources for understanding and combatting racism, and processing the events the events taking place.