Hattiesburg Public School District officials are determined to recognize graduating seniors at Hattiesburg High School with a ceremony marking their completion of studies to earn a diploma, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the date and location is tentative.
HPSD Superintendent Robert Williams said at the May 12 Board of Trustees monthly regular meeting that the goal is to hold the commencement ceremony June 26, possibly at D.I. Patrick Stadium on the high school campus, assuming installation of a new field turf is complete by then. Seniors are scheduled to pick up their caps and gowns May 22 at N.R. Burger Middle School.
In previous years, the ceremony was held at Reed Green Coliseum on the University of Southern Mississippi campus, but that facility will not be available. School officials at HPSD and across Mississippi have followed guidance and rules set by Gov. Tate Reeves on school closures and social distancing as part of ongoing efforts to combat spread of the virus.
“We want to have the ceremony as close to the traditional date of graduation as possible,” said Williams, who said graduates and their families will be notified about ceremony details as soon as possible.
“Our goal is for our seniors to be recognized for their achievement, and we are working with administrators and teachers to make sure that happens,” said HPSD Board of Trustees President Delores McNair, adding that parameters set for the ceremony would be informed by guidance from public health professionals.
In other board matters, trustees approved a Memorandum of Understanding with Mobile Health Solution’s Mobile Dental to provide, for a third year, services for students throughout the district. Approved by the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners, MHS Mobile Dental offers mobile, portable dental care on-site, including dental prophylaxis, digital x-rays, sealants and restoration.
Dentists, dental hygienists and radiology technology staff working with MHS Mobile Dental are licensed by the state.
