Noah Lyles To Give Keynote Speech At T.C. Williams Graduation

ALEXANDRIA, VA — After 2020 seniors saw their high school experience end early due to the new coronavirus pandemic, T.C. Williams High School will hold a virtual graduation ceremony. World champion sprinter Noah Lyles, a 2016 T.C. Williams graduate, will give the keynote speech. Lyles is part of Team USA and had been set to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo before it was postponed.

The virtual event will happen on the date originally scheduled: Saturday, June 13 at 9:30 a.m. The graduation ceremony will be broadcast on ACPS TV Channel 71, Facebook Live and the school district's T.C. Williams graduation and senior experience microsite for the class of 2020.

"While our school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have upended our traditional ending to a school year, we have been hard at work trying to plan the most meaningful and special ways to recognize you while also being responsible to ensure our duties to prevent the spread of any disease and ensure public safety and health," wrote Principal Peter Balas in a letter to families.

The virtual ceremony will feature traditional elements of graduation, including guest speakers, graduates' names called, and pomp-and-circumstance, according to Balas. Two pictures of each graduate will be displayed when the name is called: a senior photo and a photo of the graduate in the cap and gown. Caps, gowns and tassels are being delivered to graduates' homes, and graduates are asked to submit a photo in the cap and gown. The school plans to mail high school diplomas, jacket covers, and programs the week after the ceremony.

Students have submitted hundreds of videos for a class of 2020 documentary compiled by the school district. The documentary will be available to view after the graduation ceremony.

Alexandria residents will be asked to honor graduates in another way on graduation day. George Washington Masonic Temple will be illuminated in red, white and blue on June 13 to honor graduates, and homeowners are asked to light their homes in red, white and blue if possible.

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