Orcutt Academy High School (OAHS) has finalized plans for a drive-in graduation for its Class of 2020.

On the evening of Friday, June 5, OAHS graduates and their families will be invited to park their vehicles on the school’s field, which will be set up as a drive-in theater with audio broadcast via car radio. 

At 8:15 p.m., OAHS staff will show a specially produced graduation video that includes the awarding of diplomas, speeches by the school’s valedictorian and salutatorian, and other student presentations.

The creation of the graduation video will be a complex undertaking. Prior to the ceremony, graduates will have individual appointments to visit a filming location in cap and gown to receive their diplomas. Each appointment will be filmed, as will speeches and other presentations, and all segments will be combined into one video to be shown at the drive-in graduation.

“This year’s graduation is going to be epic,” said OAHS Principal Rhett Carter. “It will be one-of-a-kind, and something that has not been done before at our school. The students are excited about it.  When we talked to them about options, they wanted to do a drive-in graduation.”

“ It was important to us to find a way to honor our seniors, and have them together in one location for their graduation, we feel this accomplishes that goal,” said district Superintendent Debbie Blow.

Attendees of the graduation will need to follow all social distancing guidelines established by the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, which include the following:

 · All participants attending must be inside a motor vehicle, occupied only by individuals from the same household, and not exceeding five people. Each graduate is allowed one vehicle.

 · All vehicles at the gathering must maintain at least a minimum distance of 6 feet from all other vehicles.

 · All persons must remain at all times in the vehicle in which they arrived.

 · No restroom facilities will be made available to attendees during the event.

 · No tangible items of any kind, including food products, may be transferred to people in their vehicles.

Members of the OAHS Class of 2020 will be provided additional information about the graduation event in the days to come.