St. Pius X High School faculty, staff and coaches celebrated the Class of 2020 with a drive-by salute through the school parking lot at 5 p.m. on May 1, 2020, the last day of on-line classes for seniors. See the Facebook video here! The news team at KOB 4 also covered the event here.

The May 20th graduation and surrounding senior week events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down schools and graduations at all levels across the country. To honor their students, teachers, administrators and coaches lined the eastern end of the parking lot through the pick-up line standing six feet apart to maintain social distancing rules. Signs, balloons, pompoms, noisemakers and about 40 people greeted about 100 students who drove in cars with their families through the campus parade route.

“This virus has disrupted the year-end traditions seniors look forward to, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a new tradition,” wrote the teachers who organized the event. “This drive-through gave the seniors the opportunity to say the goodbyes that they would have normally said. It gave all of us the chance to reconnect and give well wishes, love, and prayers to the seniors as they move onto college. It was a beautiful and touching night, on all sides, and one we will all cherish together.”

Teachers who put the idea into action were Michaela Bruzzese, Paula Coe, Deborah Green, Brooke Landavazo, Joann Maestas and Susie Sanchez.

“This was such a simple, beautiful, and meaningful event for us,” one parent wrote.