Zoe Crump graduates from Saint Dominic Academy in Auburn on Thursday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Crazy times? 

For sure, but what of it? Saint Dominic Academy had a graduating class in need of a ceremony and a ceremony is what they got. 

It all looked very different, though. 

Students were required to wait in cars with their parents until it was time to collect their diplomas. All wore face coverings and everyone took pains to maintain distance from everyone else. 

Mark D’Alessandro collects his awards after receiving his high school diploma from Saint Dominic Academy in Auburn on Thursday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

No mingling with classmates. No high-fives or emotional hugs. For the St. Dom’s graduating class, this was just one more set of obstacles to overcome in a long series of them.

As graduation celebrations go, it was decidedly unique.

“You are going to have the best stories,” said Marianne Pelletier, superintendent of Maine Catholic schools. “Just think about what you’re going to be able to tell your granddaughter about your graduation.”

The class has seen a lot in the past couple months, but in the end, the students found ways to appreciate the irony. 

“I am proud to stand before you as a member of the graduating class of 2020 of Saint Dominic Academy… in our parking lot,” said Class Valedictorian Skye Rogers. “A lot has happened in this parking lot during our four, and some of us six years at this campus. In middle school we were dropped off by our parents right over there. Then when we got our licenses, we zoomed in this parking lot with our Starbucks and Dunkin just to make it under the bell. I wonder if we would have thought of it any differently if we knew that at this spot is where it would all end. So many memories have taken place in this lot, so it’s almost fitting to have this ceremony right here.” 

A stage was set up in front of John E. Callahan Family Memorial Gymnasium. Graduates and their families watched from their cars like it was a drive-in theater. Horns were honked at key moments in the ceremony where one would typically expect to hear applause.  

Unorthodox, maybe, but it worked. 

The class, one of the first to graduate under the strict guidelines imposed by COVID-19, seemed to take it in stride. Yes, the response to the virus prevented them from graduating in a traditional way — no prom, no springtime sports, no bumping into classmates in the halls as graduation day approached. 

“We never expected to have graduation in a parking lot,” Rogers said. “We never expected to have online classes the last two months of school or to deliver our senior symposium over a laptop. We never expected not to have our final sports seasons, or our retreats, or for our senior prom just canceled. We never expected to not have those final moments of high school to really take in and cherish. I never expected that I wouldn’t be able to stand on that stage in that hot sweaty gym in front of my whole class and all their families to deliver this speech. All of that changed March 13 when we were told to pack our bags just in case we didn’t come back to school the next week.” 

St. Dom’s President Timothy Gallic, in his address, suggested that the strange turns of events the graduating class faced over the past couple months will prepare them for lives that are full of surprises. 

Family of Robbie Dick watch as he receives his diploma during Saint Dominic Academy’s commencement in Auburn on Thursday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

“Little did you expect to be learning remotely and to be wearing masks in public, and being praised for it,” Gallic said. “It’s the end of your beginning, life will show you so much more in the next few years, you will explore and learn about yourselves and others. You will go places and see things you cannot imagine, and you will find that one thing, which ties us all together. The one bond that makes us human. The one reality without which the world will crumble. You will find out that the greatest of all is love.” 

Some students admitted that when the coronavirus booted them out of their classrooms, they thought there was no way it would last. Would they really lose out on the most glorious days of their high school careers? Could they really be so unlucky? 

When it became clear that this was the case, some felt cheated. But in their speeches Thursday night, class leaders insisted that this, too, was something to overcome.  

“Every member of our class will miss senior year in their own unique way,” said Avery Greco, in her salutatorian speech. “Many will even miss the times they use to stress and complain about… We should always keep in mind the importance of not taking anything for granted, living in the moment, and remember, this is only the beginning.” 

“It is what we decide to do in this moment that counts,” said Rogers. “It is up to us to make the best out of a situation. We won’t be remembered as the class that complained or gave up just because things didn’t go our way. It is up to us to leave a legacy as the class who got through this pandemic stronger and wiser as we take on the future. If we have learned anything in the past few months, it’s that the future is unknown and that we need to focus on what’s really important.” 

Greco went so far as to say that the adversity faced by the graduating class will ultimately enrich them as people. 

“In times of such uncertainty, there is one thing that will always be true regarding the Class of 2020,” Greco said. “We are strong. Even when we are faced with difficult challenges, we always seem to persevere and especially now, we will come out even stronger. So, thank you, to everyone who has helped us through this journey.” 

Paige-Jackalynn Errico creates a heart with her hands while smiling at a friend during Saint Dominic Academy’s commencement in Auburn on Thursday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Skye Rogers approaches the podium to deliver her valedictorian speech during Saint Dominic Academy’s commencement in Auburn on Thursday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Andy Dolci watches his graduation cap fly through the air at the end of commencement exercises at Saint Dominic Academy in Auburn on Thursday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Seniors stand outside their cars to listen to the National Anthem during commencement exercises at Saint Dominic Academy in Auburn on Thursday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Robbie Dick arrives for graduation at Saint Dominic Academy in Auburn on Thursday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Mia-Angelina Leslie waves to a friend after arriving at Saint Dominic Academy in Auburn on Thursday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo