Seekonk High Grads Say Goodbye

Knowing their graduation ceremony will not be held due to the coronavirus pandemic, the senior class of Seekonk High School opted to record their own farewell messages on May 8 and 9. “More than a third of the seniors participated either by showing up in person, wearing a mask and adhering to social distancing guidelines, or sending in a video on their own,” said Tony Gugliotta, who teaches video production.

The idea for the video originated with Senior Ryan Pelletier and his friends, who wanted to say goodbye to their classmates and the school before they all go their separate ways. A section of the school's video yearbook always includes a few students wishing their classmates well and saying goodbye, Gugliotta said, noting this year was different: “The seniors really wanted to do something that was open to the entire class.”

Gugliotta believes the video will probably be posted online, either at the end of the month or before the date of graduation in June. “All of the seniors that came were extremely happy that we held this event and gave them that last opportunity, which we all know meant a lot to them,” Pelletier explained. “The students that helped make the video were so enthusiastic, and their excitement really made me feel like we were doing something super special,” Gugliotta added.