The Newberry High School Class of 2020 was honored with a parade on April 20. The Newberry Fire Department escorted the seniors from Mac’s Market, down Newberry Avenue, and to the football field, where the field lights burned bright for 20 minutes and 20 seconds, beginning at 8:20 p.m.
Senior Elena Edwards rode alone in her car in the parade – social distancing measures required the students to ride separately, or with their own families, and to stay in their own vehicles.
“I think everything going on really hit all of us tonight,” Edwards said. “It was emotional for a lot of us.”
Edwards said she and her classmates are realizing this was one of the last times they would ever be together. Nearly everyone was there.
The support from the community was powerful. Cars lined parking lots along Newberry Avenue and horns blared for the class. At the football field, Athletic Director Kenn Depew welcomed everyone over the loudspeaker and read the name of each member of the class of 2020. Vehicles ringed the outside of the fence, headlights shining like a pearl necklace.
The lights went back off at precisely 8:40 p.m., and the crowd dispersed.
“Everything the parents, school, and community are doing really makes us feel appreciated and recognized,” Edwards said.
