This Is What A Masked Graduation Looks Like: Westfield, NJ

WESTFIELD, NJ — After they waited so long, Mother Nature decided to let Westfield students have two high school graduation ceremonies this week.

On Wednesday — two months after their senior class president Alexis Hammer asked the New Jersey governor to allow in-person graduations — they got to have their live ceremony, but it was cut short by a thunderstorm. The hardy Westfield High students returned Thursday and finished.

Along with masks, some of them wore hats displaying where they'll go to college — and will likely have a very different experience that students even a year ago, as colleges such as Rutgers will largely teach students remotely this fall.

With folding chairs six feet apart at Gary Kehler Stadium, 477 high school seniors progressed in a single file line.

Principal Mary Asfendis welcomed the graduates, beginning the ceremony with a moment of silence to remember three members of the high school community who have died – students Carter Uziel and Terry DiFalco and former principal Dr. Derrick Nelson.

Asfendis also recognized educators, parents, and guardians who, due to social distancing restrictions, could not attend. She asked the students to stand and applaud these “significant adults” in their lives, many of whom were watching the livestreamed ceremony remotely.

Asfendis also paid tribute to student achievements, including: Four National Merit Finalists, 20 National Merit Commended Students, 211 graduates elected into the National Honor Society, 283 recipients of the President’s Education Award and more than 100 students who were honored with a variety of scholarships and awards from nearly 140 different organizations.

Senior Class President Alexis Hammer, a sprinter on the high school track and field team, compared high school to a 400-meter dash, adding that “perspective plus positivity equals perseverance.” She urged her fellow graduates to use their voices to stand up for what they believe in, predicting that the “Class of 2020 will do incredible things.”

In his address to his fellow graduates, Student Government President John Czarnecki said he wanted to focus on “the time before you had to wear a mask to graduation.”

He noted that every moment “spent daydreaming about the future” means missing something in the present, as he held up a plaque that said “Don’t forget to enjoy the journey.”

On Thursday, Asfendis said, “And there is Alexis Hammer, who wrote the letter that brought us here today."

As she concludes her first year as principal of Westfield High School, Asfendis expressed her own gratitude to the Class of 2020 for their strength, resilience, community, caring, and determination.

Here is yesterday's livestream link.

Westfield schools are scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. Don't miss Westfield and statewide news alerts when they are announced. Sign up for free Patch breaking news alerts and daily newsletters.