Austin ISD Class of 2020 Graduation

#AISDProud to celebrate the Class Of 2020 #AISDGrads

I served as the lead project manager for communications on 15 high school graduation ceremonies at the end of a strange, pandemic school year. This included leading team efforts for livestreaming, social media planning, graphic design, photography, web updates and media relations. In the weeks leading up to each ceremony, communications went out to each family in English and Spanish informing them of safety protocols including temperature health checks and mask requirements. Every communications staffer was assigned a ceremony to cover for a live social media recap and a web story.

Event

Austin ISD Class of 2020 Graduations:
Virtual Graduations & In-Person Outdoor Graduation Walks

Services

Project manager of communications team:
livestreaming, social media, graphic design, photography, writing, web updates, media relations

Project Description


How do you celebrate more than 4,000 seniors at 15 high schools in the middle of a pandemic? Adapt. In addition to livestreamed virtual graduations, in-person socially-distanced Graduation Walks were organized across the city for seniors to cross the stage and celebrate with loved ones in a safe, outdoor setting.

Graduation Walks were held at AISD facilities outdoors: Burger Stadium, House Park, Nelson Field

Virtual Graduations social media graphic.

Graduates and families were assigned specific arrival times to ensure plenty of space for social distancing.

Virtual Graduations were livestreamed on the district's tv channel AISD.TV and Facebook Live, bringing in thousands of viewers.

Each graduate was allowed four guests.

We had teachers & counselors drive to neighborhoods, and had a parade just to make sure seniors felt recognized. If this doesn’t show that we’re family then I don’t know what does. Even when we’re apart we found ways to connect.

Superintendent and Board of Trustees.

Graduates, families and staff were encouraged to share photos and videos from the celebrations on social media with the hashtags #AISDGrads and #AISDProud.