In addition to a virtual graduation ceremony, Oak Park High School will also conduct an in-person drive-thru celebration. The drive-thru will take place during the day on June 4, and the virtual commencement ceremony will take place that evening. 

On Saturday, April 18, the Ventura County Health Officer issued the latest “Stay Well At Home Order” that allows certain activities. Drive-thru gatherings are now allowed as long as they conform to a set of conditions. 

“We are working with ASB students to create a memorable activity where we decorate the campus, students decorate their cars, teachers can participate, similar to what we usually do on the stadium ramp but in cars in the student parking lot,” Principal Kevin Buchanan wrote in a StudentSquare blast. “Each student can wear their caps and gown and we will have music and surprises.”

The drive-thru will consist of a one-way path through the parking lot where students will drive past their college posters first, then proceed to pass OPHS teachers and staff who will be parked in the lot. Lastly, graduates will reach the diploma pick up location at the great lawn.

“We hope that seniors will take this opportunity to come back on the OPHS campus once more, because it gives us all a chance to see our teachers in person again, as well as pick up our diplomas on campus,” senior class president Ethan Kastenberg wrote to the Talon.

Many seniors are disappointed that they do not have a traditional graduation but believe that the solution is the best the administration and ASB can do given the situation.

“It’s definitely going to be exciting to decorate our cars and be with our families the entire time we get the diploma,” senior Suhana Danee wrote. “This experience will obviously never completely take [the] place of a traditional graduation, but given these circumstances, I’m as satisfied as I could be.”

The drive-thru idea was brought up by several ASB seniors during a meeting with the administration. The administration and students worked together to put the idea into action.

“This situation is unprecedented, and is far from ideal. However, what we are trying to do is emulate graduation as close as we can; we are doing our best to make this a special and memorable experience for the class of 2020,” Kastenberg wrote.