Dear Members of the Class of 2020, Parents and Guardians, 

We wanted to communicate with you our ongoing plans to honor and celebrate Trinity High School’s Class of 2020. When we postponed graduation to July 25th, 2020 and Senior Prom to August 7, 2020 we were hopeful that by this point in the summer, health and safety regulations would permit larger gatherings and that we might be able to host a traditional graduation ceremony in our Auditorium or Parking lot.

On Friday, June 26th, the state entered into Phase 4 of Restore Illinois and the Illinois State Board of Education in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Public Health issued a joint document outlining safe and healthy practices for schools in Illinois in line with Governor Pritzker’s mandates for Phase 4. The current regulations do not allow for gatherings of more than 50 people in a school regardless of social distancing measures. In light of the regulations, we will be offering a Parking Lot Drive-Through Graduation Celebration for interested members of the class of 2020 and their families on Saturday, July 25th from 9:30 am until 11:00 am.  

Please use this link to RSVP for the Class of 2020 Commencement Exercises. 

As with everything that we do, the safety of our students and families is our top priority, please see the safe practices and guidelines for the Graduation Event posted below…

Overview:
  • Families/Graduates should arrive on Trinity High School’s campus in a family vehicle between 9:30 am and 11:00 am.  
  • If families do not have access to a personal vehicle on the day of the event, please contact Susie Bedell.
  • Graduates should be dressed in their Trinity Issued (supplied by Herff Jones) WHITE CAP and GOWN. Please see the attire details below that were sent in a letter to families in February of 2020.  
  • Graduates and Families should be MASKED even in vehicles.
  • Stay tuned for more detailed information about the street traffic pattern for the event once we have recommendations from the Village of River Forest. 
  • Trinity Personnel will “check in” your graduate when your car arrives on campus.  
  • Personnel will direct your vehicle through the lot to a staging location where your graduate can exit the family vehicle and proceed to the “stage” where representatives of the Administration and Board of Directors will be socially distanced and will “present” your graduate with her diploma with NO CONTACT.  
  • Graduates are permitted to remove their mask while walking across the stage if desired.  
  • Families can honk, cheer, take photos and videos, all from the safety of their own cars.
  • Once Graduates have picked up their diploma, they will walk down the stage and rejoin their family in the vehicle to exit the lot and Trinity’s campus.  

Traffic Patterns and Safety Precautions:
  • Students may ONLY be in their personal or family vehicle. Students may not ride or drive in the cars of their classmates.  
  • Graduates are permitted to have 2 cars maximum in the graduation drive through line. 
  • Graduates and families are welcome to decorate their cars and show off their pride!
  • Cars should enter the Trinity parking lot from the Northeast Corner of our campus (located off of Jackson, just south of Berkshire). This is the same access point for the parking lot that we ask students and families to use during morning drop off on a school day.  
  • Trinity Personnel will meet your vehicle upon arrival at campus to check in your graduate and provide the car with the graduate with an Identifying Placard to be placed in the windshield.  
  • We will not be attempting to call the graduates in alphabetical order, the roll call of the graduates will flow from the queue of cars lined up to enter the parking lot.
  • Personnel will direct your vehicle through the lot to a staging location where your graduate can exit the family vehicle and proceed to the “stage” where representatives of the Administration and Board of Directors will be socially distanced and will “present” your graduate with her diploma with NO CONTACT.  
  • Graduates are permitted to remove their mask while walking across the stage if desired.  
  • We will be able to continue our tradition of permitting Alumnae of Trinity High School to present their daughter and/or granddaughter in the class of 2020 with her diploma. *** Please indicate if your graduate will be receiving her diplomas from her alumna Mother or Grandmother in the RSVP link above and detailed instructions will be provided to you.  
  • Families can honk, cheer, take photos and videos, all from the safety of their own cars.
  • Families are required to remain in their personal vehicle. IT PAINS US NOT TO EMBRACE YOU but we need to prioritize the health and safety of our community!
  • After your graduate receives her diploma and re-enters your vehicle, we ask that you slowly and safely exit the Trinity campus, you cannot gather in small groups or clusters in the parking lot or on the perimeter of Trinity’s campus.  
  • We need you and/or your driver to DRIVE safely. There are so many distractions so we need to be super vigilant about driving safely and not exceeding 5 miles per hour in the Trinity parking lot at any time.  
  • *** In the event of inclement weather, we may have to institute a Rain Plan***

Graduate Attire:
  • White Cap and Gown (distributed to students on May 20th).
  • Graduates should wear white or lightly colored pastel clothing underneath the gowns (you CAN see dark or heavily patterned clothing through the gowns).
  • The gowns wrinkle easily, please consider steaming or using a cool iron on the gowns (warning: a hot iron can melt the material).
  • White DRESS shoes (sandals, flip flops and athletic shoes are not permitted).
  • Alumnae Medallion: YELLOW ribbon on the medallion for Full Diploma IB students and BLUE ribbon on the medallion for Partial/Certificate IB students and College Prep students.  

Alternative Ways to Receive a Diploma
  • If a graduate is unable or would prefer not to attend the Parking Lot Commencement Event...
  • Diplomas can be picked up by a Parent/Guardian during the Parking lot event on July 25th between 9:30 am and 11:00 am, all procedures posted above should still be followed.  
  • Diplomas can be picked up from Trinity’s main office July 27th-August 13th Monday through Thursday, 9am-1pm.  

Senior Prom:
  • Senior Prom was postponed to Friday, August 7, 2020. 
  • Under the current state guidelines, we are still unable to host a gathering over 50 people. 
  • For the time being, the Senior Prom has been cancelled.
  • We will reschedule the event for a time when large gatherings are permitted and during a time when the members of the class of 2020 are on break from their colleges/universities. 
  • We assure you that the incredible fundraising and party planning efforts of the class of 2020 will be put towards a Prom experience for them as long as they remain interested in having one.  
  • We will be working with the members of your Senior Class Council to plan an event that fits the needs/interests/timelines for your class once it is safe and permissible to do so!
  • While this is not the news that we hoped to be able to share with you about Prom, we are so looking forward to the biggest and best celebration with you when we are able to gather in large groups again! 

Graduates, you are the most unforgettable graduating class in Trinity’s 102 year history. The maturity, grace, strength and leadership that you have demonstrated in the face of adversity, fear and challenge has forever touched our hearts. You leave behind you three classes of women, a faculty and staff who are in awe of what you have accomplished and more importantly, HOW you have accomplished it. When we gathered you ALL together on the front steps of Trinity on your first day of senior year, we asked you to take the reins, dig down deeply and lead with faith and integrity. You have made us so proud. We cannot wait to celebrate you on July 25th and then have the most spectacular BELATED PROM imaginable down the road. We are always your home. ALWAYS. Visit us, regale us with tales of the trails you blaze at your colleges and universities and know we are better because you have been here.
Sincerely,
Laura Curley
President
Susie Bedell
VP of Student Life
Maggie McNair
Dean
Trinity High School | Website