Dear District 58 Community,
The Village of Downers Grove, Community High School District 99 and Downers Grove Grade School District 58 congratulate the Class of 2020. While we encourage community members to celebrate our well-deserving students for their hard work and accomplishments, we also ask you to please consider how the actions you take during this time will affect our entire community.
The DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) and DuPage Regional Office of Education wrote a letter directing school districts to not conduct any type of in-person graduation ceremony, including drive-through ceremonies. Therefore, we ask families to voluntarily comply with their recommendations, along with the Governor’s Stay-at-Home Order, and not participate in celebratory parades and group ceremonies.
Here in District 58, we will celebrate our eighth graders’ accomplishments by hosting virtual promotion ceremonies on Tuesday, June 2. District staff also delivered congratulatory yard signs to every eighth grader. Our elementary schools are organizing special virtual videos to honor end-of-the-year traditions and to celebrate sixth graders moving on to middle school. Principals directly emailed families with their schools’ celebration plans.
In addition, the Village of Downers Grove has declared Friday, May 22, 2020 as “The Class of 2020 Day” to commemorate students. On May 22 at 20:20 (8:20 p.m.), residents are invited to give a “20-Second Cheer” for the graduates from their yards while practicing proper social distancing.
Our community has worked hard and made many sacrifices to get through the phases needed to safely reopen our community. I appreciate the community spirit and unity as we have worked through these difficult times. The Class of 2020 will certainly be remembered as one that put the needs of others before themselves.
Thank you,
Dr. Kevin Russell
Superintendent of Schools