SOUTH DEERFIELD — Signs recognizing the roughly 100 graduating seniors of Frontier Regional School were placed on the school’s lawn on Tuesday.
The signs remained there through the end of the week, according to Scott Dredge, assistant principal at Frontier. Parents were informed they can take the signs home over the weekend.
“This is our small way, our small token of appreciation, for recognizing their resilience in finishing the school year when everything was taken away from them,” Dredge said.
He said the idea for the signs came up in conversations between himself and some parents.
“I definitely liked the idea,” he said. “I took it upon myself to pull it together.”
He reached out to Rich Logan, president of Blazing Light Photography, about printing the signs.
Logan offered Dredge a few design options; once one was chosen, they began organizing the school portraits.
Logan, who has a senior himself, said the signs have been a popular way of recognizing students whose senior years were cut short because of the COVID-10 pandemic.
“We’ve been a part of the community for years, for decades. There’s a connection there,” Logan said. “I know these kids. I’ve been taking their pictures for years, and I want to do what I can to help recognize them. They deserve something.”
Blazing Light Photography has been taking school portraits for the Frontier Regional School District for years, he said, and about 10 percent of the senior class used the company this year for senior portraits.
As for other plans to celebrate its graduating seniors, Dredge said the school is still working things out.
Tentatively, the school hopes to hold a graduation ceremony in early August, though that is contingent on social distancing guidelines and what the state will allow, he said. Officials are also considering the possibility of holding a virtual ceremony.
“Parents are asking, and rightly so,” Dredge said. “So we definitely want to make something happen for them.”
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263.