March 13 was just like any other day for Kaia Slaw.

The Lehighton Area High School senior was sitting in the cafeteria thinking about a presentation she had to give and two quizzes coming up the following Monday.

Little did she know it would be the last day she would attend classes in the building.

Throughout the day Friday, Slaw and the entire Class of 2020 returned to the school one at a time in their cap and gown for a commencement ceremony unlike any other in LAHS history.

“This year was a wild ride from beginning to end,” said Slaw, the class’ valedictorian. “We missed so many activities because of things outside of our control. But it afforded us the opportunity to learn an important skill that often doesn’t come until later in life. Many of us realized life isn’t fair, but we also learned how to make the best of a bad circumstance.”

In a ceremony originally planned for the school’s athletic stadium, which was moved indoors due to an inclement weather forecast, 158 students entered the high school one at a time in alphabetical order surrounded by a handful of family members.

Once inside, the students were handed diplomas by principal Sue Howland, rang the school’s Spirit Bell and penned their names on an Indian cutout, which they then hung on a tribute banner that will hang on the wall throughout the next school year.

“This is not at all what any of us wanted for the graduating class, but we are making the best of it,” Howland said. “This class has been asked to sacrifice some of the best and most memorable experiences of their senior year for the betterment of the community and nation. I know for a fact they have come out on the other side stronger and wiser.”

Friday’s ceremony was live streamed on the district website, where student and principal speeches were also posted.

The edited version of Friday’s ceremony will condense a 6-7-hour event into a shorter version that will resemble a traditional graduation ceremony, including speakers and the recording of each graduate being awarded their diploma in succession.

With no senior prom or senior outing, Jade Steber said the class members’ world changed overnight in a way nobody could have predicted.

“There are no magic wands to fix all the problems, but there is a path forward,” Steber, class salutatorian, said.

“Our future depends on how we decide to move forward. Positivity is something you have to work for, not something inherent. No matter how bad things are, with our decisions we have the power to make our circumstances better. It may be raining now, but flowers need rain to bloom.”

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent school shutdown forced students to connect in a new way, something Slaw said bodes well for their future camaraderie.

“We have Zoomed, Skyped, and Facetimed,” she said. “This gives me hope for the future that as we begin to lead our separate lives, we will stay close and stay connected. I have hope that we will always be united as the historic Class of 2020.”

Following Friday’s ceremony, the class gathered again later in the evening, boarding 20 buses for a motorcade parade throughout the community. The parade was led by the Lehighton Borough police and about 20 emergency vehicles helped with the escort.

“We’re very thankful to the administration and the Lehighton teachers and staff for allowing us to have a ceremony and for putting this all together,” Steber said. “Despite all the uncertainties we have faced, everyone has gone above and beyond to give us a chance to celebrate this great achievement.”

Though the Class of 2020 will not soon forget their last three months at Lehighton, Slaw said they should be determined not to let it define their careers.

“We were robbed of once in a lifetime memories and opportunities,” she said, “but nobody can take the previous three and a half years from us.”