Ben Frey and Jena Frey, teachers at St. Clairsville Richland City Schools District, were among the staff greeting seniors Tuesday as they picked up their caps and gowns.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The staff of St. Clairsville-Richland City School District welcomed the departing senior class with a “reverse parade” in the parking lot as students arrived to pick up their caps and gowns.

“They’re not allowed to get out of their cars,” Principal Justin Sleutz said. “They’re just here to get their cap and gown, but we’re turning it into a celebration as well.”

A chilly evening and some heavy rainfall did not deter school staff, who formed a row with their cars and welcomed seniors with honking horns and signs reading “Congratulations” as the graduating students drove through.

Due to the novel coronavirus, schools across the state have been closed since March 16 and restrictions on large gatherings of people have put a stop to anticipated graduation events, but the district has planned a series of events to give a sendoff to departing students.

“Myself and our teacher team at the high school and at the district as a whole have kind of felt it necessary to honor this class in some different, creative ways. This is just one of the many things we’ve got planned, including our graduation ceremony,” Sleutz said.

District staff waved to their students.

“It’s a chance to send off these kids who don’t have the chance to have a real graduation,” high school teacher Ben Frye said, adding everyone has done well in adjusting. “It’s been hard just breaking the routine for everybody, but I think they’ve adapted well. They’ve done a great job.”

“It’s just another way to recognize them, let them know how much we truly miss them and try to give them all the appreciation they truly deserve,” Superintendent Walt Skaggs said.

Sleutz also thanked the Ohio Valley Mall Chick-fil-A for providing a meal gift card for each of the seniors. He said the disruption has been difficult on the senior class.

“Our seniors, I think, are struggling more than the underclassmen, missing out on important events that normally are associated with senior year. Prom, academic awards, graduation, all those kinds of events. We have been doing our best as a faculty and a staff to reach out to them through social media, to engage them with positive reinforcement any way that we can.”

He said the graduating class will include 135 students. A graduation date has not been set.

“We’ve, as everyone has, been adjusting our schedule per the whims of the state. Right now we are planning on having a videography day for individual diploma presentations on May 23 and May 24, which will then be turned into a virtual commencement ceremony hosted that next Friday,” he said. “Those dates are tentative.”

He said a DVD of the virtual commencement will be provided to every senior.

He said they hope to have a traditional ceremony in July or August if possible.

Sleutz said he and the staff were proud of the students for adjusting to a distance-learning format in response to the pandemic and closures.

“Across the board it’s been a difficult transition for students, staff and community members alike,” he said. “Our teaching staff basically within one day turned our whole system into a digital platform, primarily through Google Classrooms. The kids are engaged. We’re using online video services like Zoom, YouTube … other ways to reach out in a live format to our kids. There’s always growing pains when you switch out to a digital environment, but I think with our staff and our kids it has gone as smoothly as it could have.”