In honor of the Class of 2020, the Hawkeye and TEMPO photography team, along with the Booster Club, are offering seniors and their families a special photo service:
Seniors and their families may download a digital copy of the senior’s individual photo taken by Hawkeye/TEMPO photographers FOR FREE.
Additionally, if you’d like to buy prints of those same photos – or ANY of the nearly 1,000 photos our student journalists took that day – you may order them at incredibly reduced, one-time-only prices. And thank you in advance because a portion of the proceeds from every item you purchase goes directly toward supporting great student journalism at MTHS.
Want a coffee mug? Got it! How about a T-shirt? You bet! Calendar? Sure! Puzzle? Absolutely! HUGE POSTER? YES! AND MORE!
Usually, under normal circumstances, there’s a printed program distributed at the in-person graduation ceremonies. This year, there is a beautiful digital version available with far more information and images than we could ever have in the printed program. Click the link below for the OFFICIAL Class of 2020 Commencement Program:
Nearly 300 members of the class of 2020 participated in the filming of MTHS’s first ever virtual graduation ceremony on June 3. In order to comply with the social distancing requirements set by the state, the Edmonds School District hired Life N Light, an Everett-based photo/video company that was tasked with creating a virtual graduation to be viewed by families at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 13, the originally scheduled graduation date.
Before the procession of cars began flowing through the Terrace parking lot, student speakers Nolan DeGarlais, Ciara Laney, Morgan McCraney and Amy Harris, as well as principal Greg Schellenberg, were recorded as they gave their commencement speeches standing at the lectern set up on the temporary stage in front of the school.
Then, at around 10:00 a.m., the decorated cars began driving in, with families cheering on the graduates. The graduates started at the back of the school, where they received their honor cords. Then, they drove to the front of the school, where Schellenberg waited at the end of a red carpet walkway to congratulate each student and hand them their diploma cover.
Scarlet diploma cover in hand, the graduates then proceeded to walk onto the stage, where Life N Light and Hawkeye/TEMPO photographers took pictures. After that, they continued on with the red carpet experience – many choosing to be interviewed by reporters from Hawkeye and HBN. With several supportive staff waiting to cheer them on along the side of Hawk Way, the seniors headed toward their final stop – a surprise from the Booster Club.
Thanks to the parent boosters, as the graduates got in their cars and drove toward 44th Avenue, they were handed a gift bag with treats, a mask and a class of 2020 mug.
As the seniors got ready to graduate, there were a mix of emotions. Some were ready to move on to the next phase of their lives, but others felt more sorrowful about the experience.
“Being involved in sports, clubs, activities and performances has been absolutely amazing, and I’m going to miss that,” Sarah Acheson said.
For some graduates, this day was a reminder of where they started in high school. McKenna Mortensen said she remembers being a super shy student when she started at MTHS in her freshman year.
“But then, I was able to give it my all, and I got to serve the community through ASB, and those are some of my favorite memories” she said.
It was a full-blown team effort, and in true Terrace style nearly 300 seniors graduated before the cameras on Wednesday, June 3 in front of Mountlake Terrace High School. The official graduation – and the official graduation video launch – is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, June 13. This year, however, you’ll be able to watch from home, on your smartphone, your laptop, or any streaming device anywhere in the world as the COVID-19 pandemic forced this year’s celebration out of Edmonds Stadium and onto the internet.
No, this wasn’t your father’s or mother’s or brother’s or sister’s graduation. In fact, nothing – and we mean nothing – like this has ever occurred in the 60 year history of the school. But, members of the Class of 2020 and their families seemed to revel in the unique opportunity, showing up in well-decorated cars, vans, trucks, and convertibles to see these seniors pick up their diploma holders from Principal Greg Schellenberg.
Speaking of team effort, the crew from Life N Light photography did all the primary video and photography for the official production, but members of the ASB, HBN, TEMPO and Hawkeye were also on hand to capture the sights and sounds of this one-of-a-kind ceremony. Additionally, the Boosters Club set up a station where they delivered special gifts from the Club and community supporters to every senior who participated in the ceremony.
Nearly 300 Terrace seniors drove to campus on Thursday, May 14 to pick up their caps and gowns in preparation for the filming of their graduation ceremony. The graduation ceremony for the class of 2020 will be filmed on Wednesday, June 3. The footage will then be compiled into a video released to the community on the official graduation date of Saturday, June 13.
The seniors entered campus through the outgoing bus lane and drove up to the turnaround in front of the school, where they were checked in by staff members before their caps and gowns were delivered to their cars. Seniors also received all of the other senior gear they ordered in the fall, such as stylized thank you cards and customized tassels. Terrace staff members delivered these products to students through car windows or into the trunks of seniors’ cars.
As seniors drove away, dozens of teachers who had gathered in support of the class of 2020 waved at them from the sidewalk while holding signs congratulating them on their accomplishments and hard work. These teachers and staff members volunteered their time, and many were there from before 11 a.m. to after 2 p.m.
Senior Jackson Freund feels that the cap and gown distribution was smooth and successful. He also appreciated the support from teachers that had taught him throughout his high school experience.
“The cap and gown distribution went very well, as it was quick and easy,” Freund said. “The teachers’ display was very heartwarming, and it felt great to drive down the road with all of their support.”
ASB/Activities Director Jeannie Brzovic helped to coordinate the cap and gown pick up event with National Achiever Services, which delivered seniors’ orders of caps, gowns and other graduate gear to the school.
“I was the lead person in planning the event, and I put together an outline for the event,” Brzovic said. “I searched online to see how different schools were handling the distribution of caps and gowns and met with building administrators.”
Brzovic believes that her skills in organizing, exhibited by her role as the MTHS activities director, allowed her to plan the logistics of the event successfully. Assistant Principal Dan Falk also played a large role in coordinating the cap and gown pickup, as he created the system by which seniors would enter and leave campus.
“Falk came up with the idea of seniors entering through the bus line at the back of the school so that the line of cars waiting to enter campus would not extend into the street and block traffic,” Brzovic said.
Brzovic was unable to officially organize the lineup of teachers cheering on the graduating seniors, as teachers were not allowed to work on campus during the week due to social distancing measures.
“I told staff that cap and gown distribution would be happening and that they were welcome to come and offer their support for the class of 2020,” Brzovic said. “Over half of Terrace staff were there for distribution, completely voluntarily, to cheer on the graduates.”
In addition to teachers, many paraeducators were at the event to ensure that it ran smoothly and direct the seniors through the process.
“The paraeducators were really the unsung heroes of the day,” Brzovic said. “Without them, the event would not have been able to function nearly as smoothly as it did.”
According to Brzovic, nearly 100 percent of the senior class was able to pick up their caps and gowns on the designated distribution day.
“There were only between 20 and 25 seniors who were not able to pick up their gear on that day, so we had them make arrangements with [Office Manager] Cathy Fiorillo to pick it up at a later date,” Brzovic said.
The event proved to be a success overall, as seniors picked up their caps and gowns in a safe, socially distant manner while receiving encouragement from teachers and staff members that they had come to know from their years at Terrace.
Co-Editor-in-Chief Ritika Khanal is in her senior year of high school and is a fourth year staff member of the Hawkeye. This year, she hopes to broaden her skills as a journalist and help tell the stories of those in the community whose voices are rarely heard. Ritika aspires to become a mentor to other Hawkeye staff and help them discover their talents and passions, just as former editors did for her. Under her leadership, she hopes that the publication will continue to shine as one of the best...
Editor-in-Chief Nolan DeGarlais is in his senior year of high school and is a fourth-year staff member of the Hawkeye. This year, Nolan hopes to lead the Hawkeye in coverage of all of the events that have the potential to impact the school community. Nolan also hopes to further develop the Hawkeye as an editor and a leader by helping other staff members to be successful in all aspects of journalism, including writing, graphics, photography and design. Under his leadership, Nolan hopes that the Hawkeye...
