Remembering community tribute to Class of 2020 graduates

It’s been months since Admiral Heights residents paid tribute to the Class of 2020 graduates … June 3, 2020, to be exact. Yet, last week when I received the community newsletter, “The Mast,” it seemed like yesterday as I looked at the photos and thought how proud I am of my community which has joined together during the pandemic to hold all sorts of social distancing events.

I didn’t have time to post the article to Patch back then, but now I would like to post it so that other readers can take that trip down memory lane. Read below:

“Unforgettable” is how one Admiral Heights resident described how friends, families and communities celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2020.

These graduates won’t have the traditional “walk across a stage” ceremony to remember, but hopefully they’ll remember how everyone tried to make the occasion special for them.

Admiral Heights residents and graduate’s moms, Karma O’Neill and Mary Franco, did their part by organizing a parade to recognize the graduates. Some graduates took an active part in the parade, decorating cars and waving and throwing candy to people along the parade route. Others waited in their homes for the parade to come to them, which it did with much honking.

Annapolis City Alderman Fred Paone led the parade of seven cars as a contingent of residents waved them on their way from the Admiral Heights Pool to the rest of the community where other residents waited in lawn chairs, on picnic blankets, and in flower beds.

Signs dotted lawns, some identifying the homes of graduates and others congratulating them. Parade organizers identified at least 14 high school graduates in the Class of 2020 who live in Admiral Heights.