Media Contact: Lindsey Goudreau, Marketing Communications Specialist | (207) 443-8330 | lgoudreau@cityofbath.com
Bath, ME (June 4, 2020) – With “unprecedented” seemingly the word-of-the-year, Morse High School will hold their graduation ceremony outside of Bath for the first time in the school’s 162-year history. Thanks to gracious community support and funding, approximately 120 students will attend graduation at the Wiscasset Municipal Airport on Saturday, June 13, at 2:00 p.m.
In letter to the Class of 2020, Principal Eric Varney expressed his gratitude for their feedback and patience surrounding graduation plans, and shared that the graduation would be a “historic and truly special celebration” for them.
“With true flexibility and generosity, the town of Wiscasset has permitted us to temporarily close the airport, allowing graduates and family members to remain in cars and experience a ceremony that is as close to traditional as the June restrictions allow,” said Varney.
The ceremony will include speeches from the Class of 2020’s top scholars and elected student commencement speakers followed by individual awarding of diplomas.
“We have come up with a way for everyone to walk safely across the stage,” said Varney. “Once the graduate receives their award, they will return to their car. The entire ceremony will be broadcast on the radio, so families will be able to listen from inside their vehicles.”*
Bath Community Television will also record and livestream the event online (www.cityofbath.com/bctv-on-demand) for those not able to attend the ceremony in person.
For the past few weeks, the Morse Alumni Association, teachers, and community members have found innovative ways to celebrate the seniors who lost the end of their high school year to COVID-19. The Morse High School Facebook page has been filled with student profiles courtesy of Morse Ed. Tech. Jen Jones. Local photographer Wendy Jung, founder of Soggy Dog Designs, is offering free photo sessions to the class in addition to the portraits of school athletes and drama students she takes each year. Thanks to a collaboration between Jung, the Morse Alumni Association, and Main Street Bath, these photos have been turned into banners which now hang on the streetlights in downtown Bath, accompanied by blue and white flags.
“If nothing else, the experience of making the Morse graduation happen in the face of a global pandemic has solidified that our local communities truly do bleed blue and white,” said Varney. “We have an unbelievably strong network of alumni that are willing to pull together and make an event like this happen.”
*To allow enough space for attendees, there will be a limit of two vehicles allowed per graduate.
Photo: Streetlights in downtown Bath decorated with banners congratulating the class of 2020
Morse Class of 2020 Top Ten:
Valedictorian: Abigail Durgin
Salutatorian: William Carrolton
First Honor Essayist: Abigail Sreden
Second Honor Essayist: Emma Roth-Wells
Third Honor Essayist: Ryan Reed
Corey Klein
Helena Eich
Emily Martin
Hannah Goodman
Zoe Sreden
Graduation Speakers:
Class President: Haily Harper
Commencement Speaker: Kayleigh Duggan
Commencement Speaker: Elizabeth Schotten
Second Honor Essay: Emma Roth-Wells
First Honor Essay: Abigail Sreden
Valedictorian: Abigail Durgin