Four Fairfield High School student-athletes experienced a unique graduation ceremony last Friday thanks to cooperation between school administrators in Leesburg and at McDermott Northwest High School.
“Fairfield Track and Field Seniors were faced with a difficult decision this year as the District Track and Field Finals conflicted with their graduation ceremony this year on 5/21/21. If they stayed to compete in all of their events at the district meet they would miss graduation ceremonies at the school,” Craig Campbell wrote in a Facebook post.
The four seniors — Blake Haines, Brant Haines, Ethan Kaiser and Nathan Vidourek — decided to forgo the graduation ceremony at Fairfield so they could compete in all of their events at the district track meet, according to Campbell.
“Fairfield Athletic Director Tony Williams, Director of Curriculum and Gifted Services Kesia McCoy, and Fairfield Track and Field coaches were determined to make the student-athletes’ graduation special,” Campbell said. “Tony Williams coordinated with Dave Frantz, athletic director of the meet’s host school, Northwest High School, to provide a graduation ceremony for the seniors at the track at the conclusion of the meet.
“The two schools came together to provide a graduation ceremony on the Northwest High School track and field that included presentation of the diplomas on the podium and a ceremonial sprint down the track in caps and gowns with the traditional graduation music and announcements of the student-athletes over the loudspeaker. Fairfield and Northwest High Schools, along with a supportive community, came together to address a challenging situation and with cheers from the fans in the stands and other teams. It truly was a special graduation for these student-athletes.”
