Smithville seniors talk about the rest of the school year being canceled

Smithville seniors spoke with WTVA about how their senior year was cut short and how they hope to have a graduation ceremony.

I'm emily leonard.

School buildings are closed and distance learning continues, but one question leaders face is how to handle graduation.

Wtva's evan hensley joins us live with how one monroe county school is trying to fit in a normal graduation.

Seniors here at smithville attendance center were looking forward to things like prom which would take place in the coming weeks... now that school has been cancelled for year they just hope they have a graduation ceremony... pkg carli cole - senior at smithville "its easy to be upset about that missing prom and banquets and stuff."

Smithville senior carli cole has spent the last month reflecting on her time at the smithville attendance center and all the things the coronavirus will force them to miss..

"i think that it is an extremely important thing.

I think it something we have all looked forward to since out kindergarten year and thats what you strive for."

She and her classmates were really looking forward to the big day... kelby horne - senior at smithville "i really wanna walk, if i don't thats okay but i ideally i'd want to."

Cole's father..

Principal chad obrian feels for the seniors... chad o'brian - principal of smithville attendance center "they are missing 25 percent of their senior year, they are going to miss out on 9 weeks.

That's a lot of ball games, proms and graduations that we just don't have answers to."

O'brian says they are trying to find a way to hold a normal high school graduation... he told me they may have to move to a drive thru graduation or something different to give that moment to the seniors... "we may have to consider it down the road i'm sure there is a drop date somewhere.

That's when a normal graduation is no longer an option but these kids are going to go to college, their lives are going to take them out of smithville."

"i think everyone is just hoping that even though we might not have a ceremony in may maybe we will have one in june or july."

O'brian is pushing to have that ceremony take place any time o'brian is pushing to have that ceremony take place any time between may and into the summer... he told me he just wants to send the seniors into adulthood the right way..

Reporting live in smithville eh wtva 9 news as we mentioned yesterday, over the next few days, we're going to explore the impact of springs as we mentioned yesterday, over the next few days, we're going