Jasper, Hampton county communities plan parades for high school graduates

As high schools across South Carolina gear up for an unorthodox graduation season, two Lowcountry counties are honoring the Class of 2020 with parades.

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office is holding a parade for Ridgeland-Hardeeville High School graduates at 7:20 Wednesday night, immediately following the Jasper County School District’s graduation drive-through celebration for students.

Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jake Higgins said expects 100-130 graduates’ cars and 15-20 public safety vehicles to participate. The parade was the result of discussions between school resource officers and district officials, he said.

“People are really excited about it because we get to honor the students for their hard work, even amidst this historic pandemic,” he said.

The major intersections of U.S. 17 and U.S. 278 will close “for five or 10 minutes” as the parade passes by, Higgins said.

The graduation plan for Jasper County School District’s lone high school is similar to Beaufort County School District’s: students filmed graduation walks ahead of their June 5 virtual ceremony and can drive through the Ridgeland-Hardeeville High campus at 6 p.m. Wednesday to view and receive professional cap-and-gown photos.

Hampton County

In Hampton County, parents Rivka Smalls and Ramona Sabb organized a parade for seniors at Wade Hampton High for June 6, the day after the school’s graduation ceremony.

Smalls said will begin at 10 a.m. at Varnville Elementary School.

Students can decorate their cars and submit a list of their accomplishments and future plans to event organizers, Sabb said. Those lists will be read aloud by a DJ as students drive past.

Sabb said the parade was organized due to confusion around the graduation plan and pushback on the guest limit.

Wade Hampton High, Hampton School District One’s lone high school, is slated to have an outdoor graduation ceremony, where each student may bring two guests.

A separate parade scheduled for May 31 was organized by the high school, which Sabb said she was unaware of until talking to teachers in the district.

However, she said she talked to high school principal Bonnie Wilson, who supported having as many celebrations for seniors as possible.