A Corona-Commencement

The 18 seniors of Maui Prep’s Class of 2020 had looked forward to May 22, 2020 with anticipation. With college acceptances and scholarships in hand, only a few AP exams and final essays stood between them and the graduation celebration they had long envisioned as a meaningful close to their high school journey.

As the school’s 11th graduating class, they expected to enjoy the cherished traditions that made Maui Prep graduations unique: an intimate ceremony at sunset, musical performances by classmates, a favorite teacher’s commencement speech, and lei piled high around their necks. But when COVID-19 shut down schools nationwide in March, everything changed.

Maui Prep quickly pivoted to distance learning. Zoom classrooms replaced physical ones, and students completed coursework from home. Hoping for an in-person celebration, the school postponed the commencement ceremony to July 31, 2020.

The seniors gathered the night before commencement  for rehearsal and to pick up their caps and gowns. Mere minutes after the class departed campus, Board of Trustees President Jim Bozich received word from the mayor’s office: due to rising COVID cases, new restrictions would limit gatherings to just ten people, effective at midnight.

With only hours to spare, Maui Prep leaders made a bold decision: move the ceremony to 9 p.m. that night. Faculty, staff, and families sprang into action. The stage was set, chairs arranged in spaced clusters, and Dr. Lisa Zamora scoured Westside stores for lei while the seniors went home to prepare.

By 9 p.m., the Lower School quad was filled with socially-distanced and masked families, teachers, and classmates. The spirit of ohana was palpable. Valedictorian Ava Merrill, Salutatorian Jerone Samari, and Maui Prep Board member Ma’Ann Sabino offered moving reflections under the moonlight.

Booster Club President MaryBeth Chin even brought life-size cutouts of each graduate’s photo, so that leis could still be draped-social distancing observed, traditions preserved.

The evening reflected the heart of the Maui Prep community: resilient, unified, and willing to do whatever it took to celebrate their students.