High School Holds Graduation Ceremony on YouTube

To prevent the spread of coronavirus, the school decided to cancel the graduation ceremony that normally invites all members of the school. (Yonhap)

BUSAN, Feb. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — A local high school replaced its graduation ceremony with a YouTube live broadcast given fears over the spread of the new coronavirus.

On Wednesday morning, students and graduates pulled out their cellphones when the school bell rang at Yeongsan High School in Busan’s Haeundae District.

They opened up a YouTube live broadcast named after the school, airing a small graduation ceremony being held live on the first floor of the school building.

To prevent the spread of coronavirus, the school decided to cancel the graduation ceremony that normally invites all members of the school. Instead, they toned down the scale to invite only 20 staff and student representatives for the occasion.

“We decided to go with a YouTube broadcast to offer students and parents at least the glimpse of an event that comes only once in everyone’s lifetime,” said Baek Yong-kyu, dean of Yeongsan High School.

Graduates entered the floor with their masks on, after having their temperature checked and cleaning their hands with sanitizer.

The dean was also seen wearing a mask as he awarded the graduates, grasping the tip of each student’s hand instead of giving a proper handshake.

For preventive purposes, alumni representatives, guests, and parents were not been invited to the event, which ended in 30 minutes.

“It was an unusual experience for us to broadcast our graduation ceremony with the students posting comments in response,” said Park Seong-hyun, president of the school’s student association.

Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)