Graduation ceremonies that were postponed from the end of the academic calendar year in May are coming up this weekend, allowing the Class of 2020 to turn their tassels finally and receive their diplomas.

The pomp and circumstance celebrating the Class of 2020 starts at Rockmart High School on Friday evening, June 26 at 8 p.m. at the The Rock, , followed by the Cedartown High School graduation being held at 9 a.m. in Cedartown Memorial Stadium.

Both graduation ceremonies will be available via livestream on the Polk School District’s Facebook page, and also here at Polk.Today when graduation gets underway.

This year will be a much different atmosphere at graduation than in year’s past due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which also caused the delay in ceremonies for 2020. First and foremost, the number of guests allowed in either stadium for the ceremonies.

Students will receive four tickets for family members to attend the ceremony, and no others will be allowed to join. Families must also sit together in designated areas, and no co-mingling of other families together will be allowed.

Masks for the event are highly encouraged, as well as umbrellas as a just in case measure for the weather. PSD officials said there is no rain date for this year’s graduation ceremonies, and in the event of weather they will get through as many students as possible before ceremonies are concluded.

This year is also different in student seating on the field. Usually seniors are packed together in rows for graduation, but instead this year they’ll be staggered across the field to ensure social distancing guidelines are in place. When ceremonies conclude, students will file out of the stadium to celebrate with families at home.

Additionally, no one but the Class of 2020 and educators who are involved in graduation ceremonies will be allowed on the field.

The other traditional portions of graduation: the student speeches, distribution of diplomas and turning of the tassel is still on as normal.

Check back Friday evening to watch the Livestream from the Rockmart High School graduation, and Saturday morning for Cedartown’s.