Fallbrook high school principals discuss graduation procedures

Before reaching out to the students and families of students scheduled to graduate in the coming weeks, Fallbrook High School principal Narciso Iglesias and principal Michael Gray of Oasis and Ivy high schools spoke with the Village News on a Zoom call to explain what was about to take place.

“We’re going to be communicating to our families that we are going to celebrate our students via virtual graduation,” Iglesias said. “It’s been a tough, tough year. Believe me, my heart is completely broken, and I know that nothing I say or do will really heal the hurt and frustration that they’re feeling.

“I’ll be expressing to them that I am grateful and I’ve been honored to be their principal during their senior year, but also want them to know that we’re going to be moving forward with the virtual graduation and they need to know that it’s not ideal. I get it. While we’re hopeful for a summer celebration of sorts, I feel it’s incredibly important to acknowledge and celebrate their accomplishments as we bring a close to the school year.”

Bonsall High School announced April 23 that they would also be holding a virtual graduation.

“We know that many students, particularly our graduating seniors, were looking forward to celebrating with graduation ceremonies and other senior activities, including prom and grad night,” according to the district’s statement. “Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and with a heavy heart, we must announce that all school events for the rest of the year have been canceled.”

Bonsall Unified officials said they are dedicated to celebrating seniors’ accomplishments in a “safe and memorable way.”

Iglesias said he was hoping to communicate all the ways they would be celebrating the seniors in the virtual event.

“I want to let them know that I’m going to be sending out a Google form asking for their accomplishments, their scholarship awards, their athletic endeavors, their leadership roles and extracurricular activities,” he said. “And then I want to ask about their future plans and even for a special quote from them. I’ll be communicating also for the next steps for senior deadlines and schedules.”

Iglesias said there may be some confusion about restrictions pertaining to the district because of the grab-and-go food program the school has been conducting since the school year was put on hold.

“Part of the difficulty is just all these restrictions at this time,” he said. “We have been working hard to do the essential business of feeding our community. People often get this blurred because when we work as these essential workers, we know we’re doing something that’s critical to support our community.

“They’re getting blurred because people think that we have fewer restrictions and we don’t. We’re following all the mandates from the state and from the county,” he said.

Iglesias said he expects there to be about seven speakers featured in the virtual graduation and the slide shows with the students, including their accomplishments and future goals.

“We’re hoping we’ll be able to do something small where we’ll do social distancing and have students pick up their cap and gown in the near future,” he said. “That way they can capture that photo that they want and then submit it to me.

“It’s going to be a beautiful presentation. Again, it’s not ideal. But we’re trying to do our very best to capture their moment.”

The school will be working with a subsidiary company of American Sports Memories to produce the virtual graduation event.

Gray said Ivy and Oasis will be doing the same thing for their graduation ceremonies, albeit on a smaller scale.

“I think I’ve only got 26 kids graduating,” he said. “And if we can pull it off maybe 35 at Ivy, and we won’t have many speakers, but we will have our valedictorian and salutatorian. I got here the second week in August and I had three kids graduate in November, but they were hoping to be able to come back and walk. We’ve got to reach out to them and see if they even want to be part of it now.”

Like Iglesias, Gray wasn’t exactly thrilled to have to do his first graduation at his new school in a virtual format.

“It’s tough, the kids are wonderful,” Gray said. “Especially in my two little schools, one of my schools up at Ivy are some kids that have worked really hard to get where they are. They struggled at the main campus at Fallbrook, academically, socially, sometimes emotionally they did. So for them to get where they are is really quite an accomplishment. I want them to understand that.

“I know that this situation and experience that they’re in right now – though it is going to be delivered this way – it doesn’t mean that what they have accomplished is not going to be celebrated. It’s an important time for them.

“The same way for my seniors at Oasis,” he said. “Most of my seniors have been there all four years and have been on the distance learning type of academics their whole life. They are students that have tried hard, this has been the best fit for them. They have been successful there and they’re going to be successful in life. I want to celebrate them just as much as Dr. Iglesias does, this is the best way right now to provide some type of celebratory experience for them.”

Iglesias said he was going to reach out to parents in hopes of creating momentum and excitement for the procedures.

“I am telling them ‘I can’t wait to congratulate you and celebrate you.’” he said. “If I asked for participation, I’m not going to get it because I know I’m heartbroken and I know they’re heartbroken. When I tell them ‘I’m going to celebrate you,’ I hope that they jump on board. It’s critical that we do it.

“I keep on saying this is not ideal and it’s not what we want, but I really do feel like we need to celebrate them. And so I’m asking them to join me as we do,” Gray said.

Jeff Pack can be reached by email at [email protected].