Mitchell High Graduation 2020

The Corona Times – June 9, 2020

by David Biddix

One of the more amazing events arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic was the graduation of the Class of 2020 of Mitchell High School. Held at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 6th at Lavonia Crest in the Glen Ayre Community north of Bakersville, the ceremony was beautiful and dignified. It honored a class that was born into the world of 9/11, lived through the Great Recession of 2008 and the associated spikes in gasoline prices that limited class trips, and now is dealing with both the pandemic and the civil unrest associated with the Black Lives Matter movement that is protesting racism and the treatment of African-Americans by police. This group has lived through a lot of momentous events in their lifetimes.

The graduation was preceded by a parade/motorcade that wound its way from Spruce Pine and Bakersville to Lavonia Crest. Here’s a slideshow of the day, mainly featuring the trip from Spruce Pine to the ceremony along with a video of a portion of the fireworks display that concluded the ceremony. I wish I could have included photos of all those along the route who turned out to cheer them on to Lavonia Crest, but poor quality of some images have forced me to edit the photos. But, thank you to everyone who took time out June 6 to congratulate our graduates. They appreciated you taking the time to share the joy of the day with them. I also included just a few shots from the ceremony as I had a son graduating that night.

It is my hope that others will share photos and videos of the graduation to include on this post. Please send them to mitchellnchistory@gmail.com and we will include them in our archive.

NOTE: We are trying to note businesses that have re-opened or began operations during the pandemic. Burger King in Spruce Pine returned to business operations on Monday, June 1 with drive-through service, while other restaurants in the region began modified operations where sit-down diners were welcomed again. Dollar Tree opened for business in the Spruce Pine Shopping Center on Thursday, June 4. Do you know of other businesses that have re-opened? Please let us know: mitchellnchistory@gmail.com and we will post the information on future Corona Times entries.

We Want to Tell Your Story

If you have stories, images, or videos that you would like to include in The Corona Times, please e-mail mitchellnchistory@gmail.com with your stories and files for inclusion. If you have problems sending us videos, please e-mail and we will make arrangements for you to upload the video to us.

About the Numbers

You will note a series of numbers contained in the blog. They document the spread of virus through confirmed cases by the federal Centers for Disease Control and by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. These are the official totals provided by state and local government at the date of the post and do not include estimates or cases not confirmed by these agencies. This is our effort to provide an accurate gauge of confirmed virus spread as it continues during the pandemic.

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37,160

Cases in North Carolina
6/9/20

1,029

Deaths in North Carolina
6/9/20

774

Current Hospitalizations
in North Carolina
6/9/20

3,893

Cases in Western North Carolina
6/9/20

13

Cases in Mitchell County
6/9/20

141

Deaths in
Western North Carolina
6/9/20

1,956,421

Cases in the United States
6/9/20

110,925

Deaths in the United States
6/9/20