It was a different kind of production at Mansfield Drive-In Theatre. Instead of a movie, Ellington High School held an in-person graduation to abide by social distancing guidelines.
It's the event every high school senior looks forward to: graduation. Names read, speeches given, pictures taken. While all that happened, it was anything but typical.
"I imagined that I was going to be sitting with all my classmates, like together, see my family in the stands," said graduate Katelin Johndrow.
But the pandemic made that impossible, leaving a lot of students feeling like they were missing a big moment in their lives.
"I was definitely very devastated because graduation was always something I was looking forward to," said graduate Madison Holden.
"I was very sad, and it kind of hit me all at once. But the more I thought about it, I was just happy my family was healthy, I was healthy, and I knew that my community and school would do something special," said Johndrow.
So students like Johndrow and EHS administration worked together to find a new way. In a socially-distant world, drive-ins seemed like the ideal solution. So with the help of health departments, state police, and many others, graduation was on.
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"I'm definitely feeling better about it and happy that we're here right now," said graduate Christopher Hoover.
Instead of rows of chairs, rows of cars filled the Mansfield Drive-In Theatre. Each student was allowed one assigned spot. And just like going to the movies, they turned on their radios and listened in.
As names were read, one at a time, students popped out of their car windows.
Honking replaced applause.
And it's not graduation without getting a picture to mark the moment. So one at a time, seniors got that too.
For family members it was just as important they got to be there to celebrate all the hard work that's led to the moment.
"Once I found out that they were going to be able to do something like this, I was super excited because I just want to see her happy," said Johndrow's younger sister Megan.
As grads begin their next chapter, it's a moment they won't forget.
"It's not just getting the diploma. It's about being together one last time," said Katelin Johndrow.
