For many graduating seniors throughout the Hudson Valley, the idea of graduation being canceled due to the coronavirus has been heartbreaking.
But several school districts like the Warwick Valley Central School District are considering using the Warwick Drive-In Theater as an alternative space to hold Class of 2020 celebrations this year.
The drive-In typically allows cars to pull into designated parking spots to watch movies on jumbo sized screens. Representatives of the Drive-In say it's the perfect place to hold a socially distant graduation ceremony.
The drive-in is almost fully booked with school districts from both New York and New Jersey who have set dates to hold their graduation ceremonies there for the month of June.
"With the social distancing we would still be able to utilize the SONY screens for the pre-recorded videos in each theater so they could come in sit in their cars, watch the video that was pre-recorded and that's streamed through because it would have audio as well through the FM stereos for each theater," said Samantha Cottrell, the Warwick Drive-In Theater events coordinator. "We're going by the full social distancing, so they wouldn’t be allowed out of their cars."
State Senator James Skoufis said he supports the idea for drive-in graduations.
"I think that if districts and state education departments can find creative safe ways to salvage what is really a momentous moment in a student's and a person's life, their graduation ceremony, we ought to try and salvage it," Skoufis said. "Certainly at a minimum I know districts are doing virtual zoom graduations but if we can do more we ought to try and do more and I think the Warwick Drive-In opportunity is a great idea."
Although many schools have locked in their dates for a possible drive in graduation in the month of June, the theater must wait for state approval for the plans which they hope to receive sometime next week.