Individual Diploma Ceremonies

  • Individual Diploma Ceremonies will be held on Monday, June 15 through Friday, June 19 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Geigle Complex.

    The ceremonies will be held in alphabetical order by last name, and graduates will be able to bring up to 5 family members with them.

    Those students who are still completing assignments will be added to the list once their graduation requirements are met.

    To view the schedule, visit https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eO7on_4EF_HCgAEu4EaEBDQB8ZAouBckauh2-DTxu3Q/edit?usp=sharing  

    If you have questions, or if you have extenuating circumstances, please contact your school counselor. 

Dear RHS Class of 2020 (Posted 6.4.20)

  • Hello, RHS Class of 2020!
     
    Thanks for lighting up our notifications this week!
     
    On a serious note, we read your messages. Our RHS graduating class is too large to hold an in-person or drive-in graduation for all of you plus your families and safely adhere to social distancing guidelines at this time.
     
    We worked with the Senior Class Officers and did a Senior Survey in early May. We encouraged seniors to offer suggestions, and more than 90 percent of seniors who responded approved of Individual Diploma Ceremonies and requested a graduation stage experience so that is what we have planned for the week of June 15, 2020.
     
    🎓 Individual Diploma Ceremonies will be held on Monday, June 15 through Friday, June 19 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Geigle Complex. Graduates will be able to bring up to 5 family members with them. Those students who are still completing assignments will be added to the list once their graduation requirements are met.
     
     
    If you have questions or if you have extenuating circumstances, please contact your school counselor as soon as possible.
     
    🎉 From our very first discussion with the Senior Class officers, we said would consider holding an in-person graduation ceremony in Fall 2020 if there was interest. Clearly, there is now interest from the seniors.
     
    As long as large-scale events are allowed by the fall, and social distancing guidelines are eased, we will work with the senior advisors to hold an in-person Graduation 2.0 Celebration with all of your classmates, family and friends on Saturday, November 28, 2020 in the Geigle Complex. We selected that date because our hope is that many seniors will be in the Reading area at that time to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with your families.
     
    🎓 We also received your request to decorate caps this year. This WILL BE allowed, but you must adhere to guidelines set by Mr. Turman and his administrative team. We will share those guidelines next week. Not adhering to the guidelines could lead to you not being able to participate in the diploma ceremonies.
     
    🎁 We also heard your request to present a class gift. We will work with the Senior Class Officers and other RHS club officers to determine a special gift that can be presented to Reading High School on behalf of the Class of 2020.
     
    🛍️ The district and school board have Class of 2020 posters and special gift packages, which you will receive during the diploma ceremonies. RHS will also provide a free 8x10 of your ceremony photo from Zerbe Photography Studios.
     
    🚗 We are also working with Reading Mayor Moran (City Of Reading, Pennsylvania) to plan a special car parade through the city. We will share details once they are finalized.
     
    💻PLUS: The Village in Reading is surprising students with porch decorations and graduation gifts, and The Lonnie Walker IV Foundation is providing laptops to five graduating seniors. Fill out the laptop submission form here:
     
     
     
     

Graduation Information (Posted 5.13.20)

  • The stage is set.

    Your caps and gowns are on the way.

    Yes, this year’s ceremony will look a bit different ...

    But we have big plans to celebrate your special day.

    Lights.

    Camera.

    Graduation.

    We admire your resiliency during this time and appreciate your patience as we worked behind the scenes to determine how we could applaud your accomplishments and mark this momentous time in your life.

    While stay-at-home orders might be lifted by this summer, there are still many uncertainties about the ability to hold large-scale gatherings, such as graduation. With that in mind, Reading High School will hold individual diploma ceremonies for graduates and their families in mid-June.

    This year’s ceremony will have to look different than previous years, and we understand not having an in-person graduation might be disappointing, especially after all of the hard work you’ve put it to reach this point. However, please know we are doing all we can to create a special graduation memories for you and your families:

    • Caps and Gowns
      Students will begin receiving their caps and gowns during the weeks of June 1, 2020 and June, 8, 2020.

    • Individual Diploma Ceremonies
      The individual diploma ceremonies will take place during the week of June 15, 2020 in the Geigle Complex. The individual diploma ceremonies will entail RHS graduates walking across the graduation stage in their cap and gown as their name is announced and receiving their diploma from Principal Turman. Special accommodations will be made for our students with disabilities or significant health issues.

      Additional information about the logistics of the individual ceremonies and cap-and-gown pick up will be shared with graduates and their families by the end of May.
       
    • Graduates and Family Members Must Wear Masks 
      Depending on social distancing guidelines in mid-June, we will consider allowing 1-4 family members from your household to attend the individual diploma ceremonies with graduates. Graduates and their attendees must wear face masks. Graduates will be allowed to remove their face mask before crossing the graduation stage but must put it back on before exiting the Geigle Gym. We will not be providing face masks. Social distancing and safety precatons will also be in full effect, and our Safe Schools staff will help to direct traffic flow and monitor entrance/exit points throughout the week.

    • Professional Filming
      The individual ceremonies will be recorded by Lone Cricket Productions and edited together for a special Class of 2020 Graduation Movie video that will be broadcast on Tuesday, June 30. This is going to be 💯! Families will be allowed to record, too. However, due to filming, no helium balloons will be permitted in the Geigle Complex. 

    • Professional Photo
      Zerbe Photography Studio will take a professional 8x10 graduation photo during the ceremony, and students will receive their photo as a gift from Reading High School.

    • Proud Red Knight Graduate Poster
      Students will receive assorted Red Knight swag items and a Red Knight Class of 2020 Graduate poster as a gift from the Reading School District.

    • Special Gift
      Students will also receive a special gift from the Reading School Board of Directors. 

Special Message from Mr. Turman

Lights · Camera · Graduation · Full Video with Behind-the-Scenes Information

Important Dates

How to Order a Cap and Gown

  • If you did not previously order a cap and gown this winter and now need one, please e-mail senior advisor Stephanie Shreves at shrevess@readingsd.org by June 1, 2020. In your e-mail message, include your height, weight, ID number, and male/female designation. The cost is $30. Payment options would be cash (exact – we won’t have change) or Money Order (made out to RHS Class of 2020) due at cap-and-gown pickup.

Other Special Events

  • Our staff is also working on alternate plans for several other events, including:

    • Prom

    • School Show

    • National Honor Society Induction

    • Senior Scholarship Ceremony

    • Top 10 Ceremony

    • Annual Athletic Awards

    • Spring Sport Senior Night Recognition

    • Decision Day/My Next Step announcements

    We will share information as those events and plans are finalized.

    If there is interest from the Class of 2020 graduates this fall, the high school administration and senior class advisers will discuss the possibility of also having an in-person graduation ceremony and celebration at a later date. Please note, an in-person graduation is not guaranteed at this point, but rather it is a topic we will explore in the fall

Senior Class Officers and Advisers

  • Senior Class Officers:

    President
    ​Jhoan Martinez 

    Vice President 
    Nayelly Trinidad 

    Secretary 
    Jacqueline Campanur

    Treasurer
    Ashley Perez

     


    Senior Class Advisers:

    Jaime Travis-Gaul

    Tom Hughes

    Stephanie Shreeves


    Principal: 

    Eric Turman