OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — After dealing with the pandemic for their last year of high school, the West Ottawa High School Class of 2021 were celebrated Tuesday afternoon.
Seniors decorated their cars and participated in a graduation parade around the middle school and high school campuses. Friends and families were invited to line the streets to cheer them on.
For the school district, events like these serve to highlight the students’ accomplishments in the face of adversity.
“They've persevered through the toughest two years of school any of us can ever remember,” said Principal Jason Reinecke, “so our focus really is, to number one, we are going to celebrate the things that did happen, we're gonna choose to focus on those things. And number two, we are going to do anything we can to celebrate their achievements, their perseverance this last year and a half.”
Reinecke added that the district would be open to doing more graduation parades in the future if the graduating class want to.
West Ottawa’s graduation ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, May 27.
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