Last week, more than 2,000 Sweetwater Union High School District Seniors took part in a parade of cars to celebrate the graduating class of 2020. The Sweetwater District organized the celebration hosted at and in partnership with Southwestern College, the City of Chula Vista and the Chula Vista Police Department.

The graduation celebration was a unique way to honor and celebrate the class of 2020 during a pandemic.

Thousands of students and families packed decorated compact, mid-size, full-size and even convertible vehicles, as they entered Southwestern Colleges campus. Students were greeted with lively music and booth style stations representing all thirteen high schools in the district. Several students arrived dressed in caps and gowns as they drove around Southwestern College’s campus and were cheered on by teachers, staff and district officials.

Several parents and families expressed their appreciation for such an event honoring their students. Comments like: “This is awesome”, “Thank you for doing this”, “This means so much”, and “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” were all sentiments that could be heard as droves of cars circled the campus.

Students and families creatively decked out cars with balloons, banners, photos, paint, and signs that read: “Harvard Bound”, “LSU here I come”, “I did it!” and “First Generation Graduate.”
This was the first time many students had the opportunity to see classmates, teachers and staff since district-wide school closures in March.

The non-traditional graduation celebration was an important alternative to a traditional commencement, which has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Graduation events will be considered in late July/early August under the guidelines of San Diego County Public Health orders at that time. If a graduation event is not possible at that time, the events will be postponed until December 2020.

Again, we honor and congratulate the entire Sweetwater District Class of 2020.