A customized “Congratulations Class of 2020, Ty Prior” yard sign was personally delivered Wednesday morning to the Springdale High School senior by the district superintendent, along with his cap and gown.

“It was nice to see them,” Prior said of the Allegheny Valley School District administrators who showed up at his Springdale home Wednesday morning. “They congratulated me, and the sign is so cool.”

Superintendent Pat Graczyk and other administrators — wearing masks intended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus — fanned out across the district Wednesday to hand-deliver the signs, caps and gowns to the homes of each of the 65 graduating seniors.

They didn’t enter homes, but spirited greetings prevailed with a few virtual high-fives.

School administrators have been trying to find a nontraditional way to honor the district’s graduating seniors during the pandemic.

“They have been short-changed in a milestone life event,” Graczyk said. “We feel bad for the children, and we want the community to know we care about them.”

Wednesday’s delivery was just one of a series of mini graduation celebrations that are easy to personalize because of Springdale High’s small class size, Graczyk said.

“It was a cold and rainy day, but our hearts are warm and we are full,” he said.

The project was paid for by the Springdale High School Alumni Association, the Dynamo Education Foundation and personal donations from the school’s administration.

The personal delivery of the signs was the brainchild of the students who hold regular meetings, via the Zoom internet platform, with high school Principal Andrew Leviski. The visits were organized by Patti Cole, a district secretary, and Jeannie McCutcheon, a teacher’s aide.

The students will continue to meet with Leviski in Zoom meetings to develop their graduation plans that could range from a virtual celebration to an outdoor graduation presented in three small, staggered ceremonies or a parade of cars.

“You work hard all these years to walk across the stage,” Prior said. “It’s kind of depressing.”

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