Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger was brief and to the point in his opening remarks at Dewey Field Saturday evening as the PHS Class of 2020 celebrated their graduation.
“I will not remember 2020 as the pandemic class,” he said. “The virus is not going to define you. You will be remembered for overcoming adversity.”
COVID-19 may have altered the final months of their final prep year, but it did little to dampen the pride and excitement on the 2020 classmates Saturday. A total of 164 diplomas were awarded — some in absentia — making 2020 one of the largest classes in recent memory.
Graduates were allowed four tickets apiece as crowd size was limited and the general public not present, though many lined the perimeter fence to view the ceremony and cheer on the students.
The crowd was divided into blue and white sections, with some sent to the north bleachers and some to the south. The division was based on the alphabetical order of the class.
Students gathered in the PHS Commons and then processed to Dewey Field before taking seats on the field facing the school. A stage was set up on the eastern side of the grid, from which the event speakers delivered their addresses.
Superintendent Clark Wicks and Senior Class President Hannah Peterson each spoke before a long series of academic and other recognitions were recited, with Marburger noting the 2020 Class stood out for the number and level of their academic successes.
Diplomas were presented, with Bluejay Congress President Odaly Perla-Cortez addressing her classmates.
A special moment was held as retiring PHS Activities Director Tom Lipovac was awarded an honorary PHS diploma. Lipovac, a Des Moines Lincoln High School graduare, is stepping down after 43 years of service to PHS and the community.
Social distancing went by the wayside at the conclusion of the ceremony, with hugs, handshakes and a plethora of smiles filling the track, field and common areas.
Pleasant weather made for a comfortable event and brought a sunny end to what was, undoubtedly, a sometime murky and most unusual school year.
As several speakers said, “Once a Bluejay, always a Bluejay.”
