COVID-19 Notwithstanding, Quincy’s High School Graduates Suffer Graduation Speeches

– Quincy News from Quincy Quarry News with commentary added.

COVID-19 virus
A Getty Images illustration

COVID-19 pandemic notwithstanding, Quincy’s 2020 high school graduates suffer graduation speeches.

In spite of COVID-19 pandemic concerns, the North Quincy High School graduation event was held Friday night for its 279 graduates and the 400 Quincy High graduates were split into two separate graduation events on Saturday.

No word if the stadium was subjected to deep cleanings between the three separate ceremonies; however, it was said that they were held in ways compliant with Center for Disease Control guidelines.

COVID-19 waits for no one
A buzz-caribbean.com image

In any event, the Acting School Superintendent was obligated to advise attendees that after the ceremonies he had been advised that one of the parents attending one of the Quincy High graduation ceremonies had tested positive for COVID-19.

Mayor Thomas P. Koch, who as mayor is also the Chair of the School Committee, was in support of holding in person graduation ceremonies in spite of pandemic concerns in addition to their being held roughly two months later than usual. 

A not socially distant group selfie
A Tom Gorman image for the Patriot Ledger

As a North Quincy High grad said to have not had a stellar academic record and later a Quincy Junior College dropout, Koch appears to view a high school diploma as a high point in one’s formal education.

The mayor thus apparently opted to go ahead with the graduation ceremonies in spite of the fact that Quincy has suffered a dramatic uptick in COVID-19 positive test results over the past roughly two weeks as well as given only reasonable expectations of further contagion via post event partying by the graduates.

“Follow your bliss …”
A Facebook photo]]>

And adding insult to potential illness, all graduates were subject to not only the de rigueur sufferance of a commencement speech, it was one by Mayor Koch as apparently no one else was willing to risk infection. 

Granted, while Mayor Koch typically manages a good read of his typically prepared by someone else comments, however …

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