GLENDON - While the day may not have been as graduates initially envisioned, the Glendon School graduating class of 2020 was celebrated in a unique way on June 13.
The day was filled with community involvement, surprise visits and speeches by teachers and school administration, a community drive-by parade, a unique socially distanced class photo, and a touching video played outdoors at the Glendon derby grounds.
President of Glendon Farewell Banquet Parent Committee Karla Gamblin expressed her gratitude for the entire community, from the Village of Glendon who allowed organizers to block off streets for parts of the day, to the Glendon Fire Department for their help in coordinating parts of the day. The Town of St. Paul FCSS lent out its outdoor movie screen, and of course teachers and school staff and administration helped in making the event truly unique and memorable.
"What started out as a possibility of no ceremony until the fall, ended up being a wonderful evening that we will never forget," said Gamblin.
Earlier in the spring, "Things were looking bleak, but everyone was holding out hope we would still be able to hold some type of celebration for our kids," explained Gamblin. "With a little inspiration and a lot of hard work, we were able to give our kids ad ay to remember."
Organizers were in constant correspondence with the staff at the school, the graduates themselves, and other parents, which resulted in "something remarkable" being created. There were meetings with the village council, conversations with the Glendon Fire Department, and phone calls to AHS.
"In just over two weeks we managed to pull it off," said Gamblin.
