Beavercreek seniors apologize after group gathers for photo-op

WAYNE BAKER / STAFF

WAYNE BAKER / STAFF

A group of Beavercreek students who posed for a group photo Monday night during a celebration of seniors has apologized on a Twitter account.

The Beaver Nation twitter page states: 
"We would like to apologize for the gathering we had and the picture that was posted. The aim of the gathering was to have one last "thing" as a class and to all sit in/on our cars (social distancing) as the stadium lit up to honor the class of 2020...The turn out was much larger than expected, and we ended up not social distancing correctly. We got caught up in the moment and didn't take into account the importance of staying apart. We realize how selfish and stupid this was of us, and we are owning up to that and saying... we are sorry. The administration had nothing to do with letting this happen... we all came together on our own. Again, we are sorry and we have learned from this."

The “Beaver Nation” Twitter page is not affiliated with the Beavercreek City School District, according to Ryan Gilding, the district’s public relations specialist.

Monday night at Beavercreek High School’s Frank Zink Field, parents, class of 2020 seniors, the district’s athletic director and some Beavercreek police officers gathered to take part in lighting the stadium to honor the senior class. High schools around Ohio, including several locally, turned on their stadium lights for 20 minutes at 8:20 p.m. in honor of their graduating senior class.

“That had concluded and basically, our athletic director and everybody was ready to leave and there was a group of seniors who had gathered in the parking lot behind the stadium for a picture,” Gilding said. “When they were asked to leave the area, they did so willingly and quickly and orderly. I want to stress this was not a district sponsored gathering nor was it encouraged by our district.”

Gilding said the district did not know the students would show up in mass behind the stadium and that it’s unfortunate that so many gathered with all the guidelines in place surrounding social distancing.

“They were 17, 18 year old kids being 17, 18 year old kids,” Gilding said. “They don’t know if they’re going to see their classmates in a group setting in the near future. Some of them may be going into the military, some may be going over seas for education. In all sense of the words, it was basically a spontaneous act by our seniors to say goodbye to their classmates.”

Beavercreek High School’s athletic department asked all residents to get involved by turning on the porch light at their home at 8:20 p.m.

An alternate Beavercreek High School graduation ceremony has been scheduled for June 25 at the Wright State University Nutter Center.

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