March 28, 2024

Seniors cross the finish line

Even after pandemic abruptly ended the school year, NHS and WEST Academy seniors graduate with style and community support

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It was a graduation to remember.

Sure there may not have been a formal, in-person ceremony inside the gymnasium of Newton High School or beneath the shade of the Maytag Bowl or in the auditorium of DMACC Newton Campus, but what was organized instead was arguably better for those seniors whose final year was cut short.

The Newton High School and WEST Academy senior classes of 2020 reunited Friday evening in the parking lot of the Iowa Speedway. Instead of rehearsing a long ceremony, these soon-to-be graduates were given the chance to ride along in a vehicle for a lap around “the fastest short track on the planet.”

Most sat in the passenger seat wearing their caps and gowns while a parent or guardian was at the wheel. Families were encouraged to decorate their vehicles, too. Some were adorned with balloons bearing the school colors, while others pinned lavishly adorned posters to doors or painted words of praise on windows.

Even though statewide school closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forced seniors out of classrooms, sports meets and other end-of-year activities — like prom — teachers and administrators wanted to make sure graduates ended on a high note.

As a result, 200 seniors smiled and waved as they cruised around the Iowa Speedway. High school principal Bill Peters was waiting for them at the finish line with a checkered flag in-hand. Peters waved the flag as hard as he could, congratulating those who finished the school year and received their diploma.

“We needed to do something fun for these kids,” Peters said. “They’re great kids. They needed something going on that is nice … We feel pretty good. We think our kids are going to have a lot of special opportunities because they’re special kids. It makes my heart feel good. Red Pride is alive today.”

Graduate Kamryn Arguello confessed she has never driven around the Newton racetrack. Judging by the amount of through-the-sunroof selfies that had taken place prior to the lap around the track, the same can probably be said about her peers. Admittedly, these past two months have long for the outgoing senior.

“It’s dragged on. I missed my friends, but it’s good to see everybody still,” Arguello said, adding that she was excited to be able to ride around the Iowa Speedway with her family members. “I really appreciate it because us seniors didn’t think we’d have a graduation.”

Shelly Fitzgerald, a high school counselor, pitched the idea to use the NASCAR-owned racetrack for Newton seniors’ graduations. Others thought it would be fun to organize a parade or hold a virtual ceremony. The school district ultimately chose all of those options.

It became what Fitzgerald called a “collaborative project” with the community. As soon as seniors finished their lap, the vehicles lined up outside the track for a parade down First Avenue. Their finish line this time? Newton City Hall. The local fire department displayed an American Flag from the top of a firetruck ladder.

Seniors and their families were greeted by a once-cooped-up community, happy to show its appreciation for seniors. Instead of a dressy ceremony with lots of tears and waiting (and the occasional, ear-splitting honk of an airhorn), folks gathered in their lawn chairs and blankets and enjoyed the casualness of it all.

But the family of graduate Gage Linahon saw this as an opportunity to really celebrate — and make a heck of a lot of noise, too. Linahon’s mother, Lorie, came prepared with giant foam hands and a cow bell, which could be heard from practically every corner of the Iowa Speedway.

And it echoed loudly in the downtown square, too. Lorie Linahon, the self-proclaimed “cow bell captain,” said this different type of ceremony may have needed even “more cow bell.” Is it safe to say she’s a proud mom? You betcha! The family had fun seeing students end the year like this.

“This was pretty exciting driving around the track and all the excitement of the parade with everybody cheering,” Lorie Linahon said. “I think actually more people that don’t know the seniors might have come to this than would have come to graduation. So I think that’s nice. (Class of) 2020 going out with a bang.”

Businesses decorated their storefront windows with black and red, and some had even donated money to kickstart the weekend events. Meanwhile, the Capitol II Theatre listed the names of every graduating senior. Fitzgerald said the way the town embraced the event was truly special.

It was “Red Pride” in action.

“This is a great place to be,” Fitzgerald said. “I think everybody was ready to celebrate something and celebrate these students. So it just became something that everybody was looking forward to … (We were) able to be together as a town again and kind of unite.”

High school graduation is an important milestone “that deserves to be celebrated, Fitzgerald said, even with social distancing restrictions in place.

“We wanted to let them know that this is important to us, too, for them to have this ceremony or some of these things to celebrate,” Fitzgerald said. “High school graduation is a big deal. And I think the class of 2020 will really remember their high school graduation.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com