More than 30 North Texas high schools are holding graduations this month. Not in an auditorium, but at a racetrack.
Typically, when people cheer at Texas Motor Speedway, it's for race cars. The cheer on Friday, though, was for Guyer High School in Denton, class of 2020.
While graduating at a racetrack is unconventional, Harlie Cooper, a senior at Denton Guyer, said the opportunity to cross the finish line literally is memorable.
"Senior year has been something I've looked forward to for a long time. And you know, it's not exactly what I expected or what I guess anyone expected, but I'm still excited to see everyone and finally graduate," Cooper said.
After losing the end of her senior year, Cooper said she learned a lesson while graduating during a pandemic.
"Never take anything for granted, because I know I took for granted sitting in classes every day with all my classmates and teacher," she said.
Safety during commencement is a priority – students must stand six feet apart. Upon arrival, they’re scanned for fevers and given hand sanitizer and a face mask with their school logo.
They were also given a face mask to wear with their cap and gown 🎓 #graduation pic.twitter.com/KvwmCoZGQt
— Lauren Rangel (@Lauren_K_Rangel) May 22, 2020
David Hart, TMS vice president of public relations, said he wants to give students a chance to end on a strong note.
With everything that's going on, to be able to give these kids an opportunity to have something that's normal in a very abnormal year is pretty rewarding," Hart said.
![Family and friends line up in the infield of Texas Motor Speedway to watch students from Braswell High School graduate on screen.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3809ec4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4032x3024+0+0/resize/880x660!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fkera%2Ffiles%2F202005%2FIMG-7076.jpg)
When students take their places, cars full of family and friends line up in rows in the infield. The ceremony plays on "Big Hoss," a 12 story, 218-foot-wide video board.
Eiya Saldia, a senior at Denton’s Braswell High school, said she appreciates the effort.
"I'm just glad they have this or just have a ceremony to recognize all our hard work. I'd rather have this than an online Zoom ceremony, and I'm really happy," Saldia said.
There were a few bends in the road to graduation. But one by one, these students finished the race.
![A family cheers from their car as their student walks across the stage to receive their diploma from Braswell High School.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/de9092d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4032x3024+0+0/resize/880x660!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fsites%2Fkera%2Ffiles%2F202005%2FIMG-7124.jpg)