How to Plan the Perfect Virtual Graduation

All graduates deserve to be celebrated and honored for reaching this important milestone. Being unable to hold an in-person commencement ceremony shouldn’t prevent the celebration from happening. With a little planning and creativity, schools and families can honor the graduates with a meaningful virtual graduation event.

It’s important to make the ceremony feel as authentic as possible. Give the event a proper graduation look and feel by:

| Sending students their diplomas, caps and gowns
| Delivering care packages of baked treats and school swag
| Creating and mailing event programs and virtual tickets
| Encouraging students to take pictures at home in their cap and gown
| Offering tips to families for decoration ideas like decorating their car or home

There are a lot of options for creating a great virtual ceremony. Each choice has different benefits for school communities of various sizes and budget levels. Explore these possibilities for your virtual graduation:

| Attendees, friends and families can view in real time from anywhere
| Deans, principals and others can give traditional speeches
| Graduates’ names are projected on a screen and announced with pictures
| A professional live streaming platform can be contracted, or you can DIY via webcam and computer

| You control who is seen and heard with Zoom Video Webinars
| The host gives the principal, valedictorian or other speakers their turn to speak
| The host focuses on each student (live or via a slide) as each name is read
| Family and friends can watch a livestream on Facebook Live or YouTube

| You are in charge of the services/content; and the company you choose creates the ceremony
| Your presentation can include student names, photos, program, awards, music, speeches
| The platform provides up to 6 video recordings with professional editing, sound and color correction
| A voice-over professional reads the names as student profiles are displayed on the screen
| You have a live training run through session and technical assistance
| You can have an unlimited livestream with 3,000+ attendees on a safe and secure platform
| The company takes care of post-production editing, ceremony recording and distribution

| This is a completely private, secure platform for student and staff photos and videos
| There are various service plans to meet your needs and budget
| The company creates graduation albums from student and staff photos and videos
| The album can be used for a slide show “processional” during the ceremony
| A personalized invitation is sent via email to staff and students

| You can develop and upload a virtual graduation ceremony to YouTube
| Students, families and friends can view this at their convenience
| Graduates’ names are announced and slides that have been created in advance are projected.
| Students can leave messages in YouTube’s comments area

| Make sure you have set up times for graduates to come to the school and film them walking across the stage in cap and gown
| Try to film all traditional speeches
| Compile video clips and background music into a graduation ceremony that can be viewed at a drive-in theater or posted and viewed online

| Build a page on the school website with pre-recorded speeches, awards and graduate profiles
| Add audio and background music to make it more authentic
| Students can share the link with friends and family via social media
| It’s easily accessible and can be viewed at any time

Even if the ceremony is held virtually, there is still some opportunity for real-life interactions to celebrate graduates in a safe and responsible way. Here are some fun ideas to consider:

| Choose a nearby drive-in theater or large parking lot
| Project a video of speeches from administrators and staff on the screen
| Present awards virtually
| Show names and pictures of graduates as a virtual processional
| Everyone stays in their vehicles
| Food can be delivered to cars

(Image Credit: @centennialhighpatriots on Instagram)

| Create a video montage or slideshow to send to students
| Mail students “professional” pictures of the ceremony
| Interview each student, create and send a DVD of video clips
| Record and post “live” ceremonies on your website
| Set up a social media page for sharing posts, pictures, videos
| Send shout-outs on social media with GIFs and memes

This unique celebration will be one that graduates and families will want to remember. Give graduates something special to look back on:

| This requires detailed planning, scheduling and traffic control
| This may be more appropriate for small-to medium-size schools
| Graduates and families can decorate their vehicles
| Teachers line the route to observe, cheer and say goodbye
| Each car stops at a special background to take graduates’ pictures
| Make sure your school films the event so it can be shared with students and families

With a little creativity and planning, graduates will have a virtual experience that honors and celebrates them in a memorable and fun way. This milestone will be marked with smiles and memories to last a lifetime.