With the social distancing aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting all spring school activities, including musicals, proms and commencement, area graduating classes have borne the brunt of it. Administrators of the Lehigh Valley Charter HS for the Arts (Charter Arts) decided to help their high school seniors and their families celebrate their educational milestone with a June 8 “Park and Circumstance” bus tour.

“We wanted to go out of our way to celebrate everything that they have done throughout their four years at Charter Arts,” said Executive Director Diane LaBelle.

Teachers and members of the administration greeted Bethlehem grads and their families at the school’s E. Third Street location before boarding the school bus to travel around the Lehigh Valley. The bus and its cargo of festive balloons made stopovers at eight community parks before returning to Bethlehem. Seniors had been invited to attend at a destination that was close to their residence. Tour stops included Emmaus Community Park, Quakertown Municipal Pool, Allentown’s Cedar Beach Park and Bucky Boyle Park, Saylor Park in Coplay, Danielsville Park, Jacobsburg Park Educational Center, and Easton’s Forks Community Park.

At each “Park and Circumstance” event, Charter Arts graduates in their caps and gowns gathered for group and family photos and words of praise from the educators. CDC social distancing guidelines were followed. Each grad was gifted a customized personal photo tribute collage featuring quotes and post-graduate destinations.

The audition-based, public charter school provides high school curriculum with majors in one of seven artistic areas: dance, instrumental music, literary arts, production arts, theatre, visual arts, or vocal music. A commencement ceremony is planned for the end of July.