News

By Julia Caulfield

Graduation for the Class of 2020 starts at the base of the gondola in Mountain Village. Students arrive to Heritage Plaza in full cap and gown and are immediately greeted by a welcoming committee of teachers and staff – all wearing masks and standing at least six feet apart. The greeters line a pathway to the gondola, cheering with maroon pompoms, and balloons.

At timed intervals, students and their families load into a gondola car and make the trip up the mountain.

At the top, outside the San Sophia station, Telluride High School Principal, Sara Kimble, and Superintendent Mike Gass meet the students, with more applause. Pomp and Circumstance is blaring from a speaker; a tent is set up with the diplomas on a table. There’s a space to take photos, surrounded by flowers special for the occasion, and that brilliant blue sky backdrop.

Kimble read each student a graduation declaration.

“This diploma represents an affirmation that you have met the requirements of graduation set by the Colorado Board of Education and the Telluride School District,” said Kimble, “upon receiving this diploma, by the authority granted in me by the Colorado Board of Education and the Telluride School District, I hereby declare you a graduate!”

Kimble said the day was better than she could have imagined, despite obvious adjustments.

“We’re not handing diplomas; they have to grab their own diploma. Everyone’s in masks. So it feels different, and there’s a lot of individual experiences, and hopefully that can create one big, shared experience,” said Kimble.

Some students are pumped, dancing and cheering. Others are more subdued, maybe a little anxious. It’s a graduation. COVID or no, emotions are naturally bubbling just below the surface.

It’s not just the students. Mike Gass, is feeling it too. He’s retiring, and this is his last graduation as superintendent.

“I can’t imagine it could be any better considering the circumstance,” said Gass, “watching families get individual graduation is pretty cool. I get a little choked up. It’s been a good group of kids, and a good group to go out with.”

Natalie Bowers is one of the graduates fully embracing the situation. She said the whole day makes her feel really special.

Bowers said, “more than probably any other Senior in the country, which is really cool. I think it’s way more special than regular graduation because we get to be outside, and be in Telluride.”

Morgan Dahl shared the feeling.

“It’s a very exciting moment. Definitely not how I thought it would go, but I honestly think it’s such a unique graduation. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way,” said Dahl.

But for Cameron Creel, it’s a little strange to not experience the traditional graduation in the Palm. The whole community there supporting each senior.

“I grew up with two older siblings, I’ve been kind of expecting the normal for many years,” Creel said, “it’s definitely interesting to get a different experience. I wouldn’t say I’m sad, it’s a different kind of way. It gets the job done.”

One thing is for sure. Graduating from high school in 2020 is like nothing else. And it’s not lost on Maxwell Stanley Gorraiz.

“It makes you feel more badass. I’ll be able to tell my kids and my grandkids that I graduated during a global pandemic,” Gorraiz said, “that’s pretty rad.”

After several more moments to take photos, and walk around the overlook, the main event is done. Students take a squirt of hand sanitizer, load into the gondola head back to Mountain Village.

It’s not a typical graduation, but certainly one for the history books.