Jupiter High’s graduation ceremony is planned for June 18 at the South Florida Fairgrounds. As the date nears, the school’s administration will send out detailed information on how the ceremony will unfold with COVID-19 restrictions in place.

Although graduation is months away, we do know the ceremony will be smaller, as seniors will get fewer guest tickets, and sanitizing and social distancing measures will be enforced. 

Dr. Colleen Iannitti, Jupiter High School’s principal, has attended several virtual meetings about how graduation will look this year, but plans are still developing. Schools are waiting to hear from the Palm Beach County School District on how to proceed. 

“The school district will be making all decisions regarding graduation,” Iannitti said. 

The PBCSD made the decision to hold live graduations, with safety precautions in place, for district schools, but details are still unfolding. 

“As of now, live graduations are planned for all Palm Beach County high schools,” Iannitti said. 

Joe Lang, the assistant principal who oversees the school’s graduation ceremony, is waiting for directives from the district but knows the ceremony will not look like traditional ones. 

“Let’s just say it is going to look a lot different than in the past,” Lang said. “The good news is the parents will get to see their child walk across the stage and receive their diploma.” 

The PBCSD plans to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control to keep students and spectators safe, while keeping as many aspects of a typical graduation ceremony as possible. 

“[There will be] extreme social distancing, limited number of guests, smaller band and chorus, if any, and limited dignitaries on the stage,” Lang said. “The students and guests will be spread out much, much more than in the past.” 

According to the school’s administration, there will only be one ceremony for Jupiter High graduates, as opposed to two for social distancing and CDC guidelines. JHS administration encourages students and parents to monitor the situation for updates. 

“There is only one ceremony scheduled for JHS,” Lang said.