Graduation in aisle 4: Grocery store honors high school seniors with makeshift commencement ceremony

Six high school seniors and employees of a local Kentucky grocery store were honored for their hard work and given the graduation ceremony they deserved after having their official ceremony canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

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“Today would have normally been the day that the Class of 2020 Seniors would have got to walk across the stage to get their high school diploma with all their friends and family watching,” wrote Cody Reeder, manager of Russell Springs Priceless Foods on Facebook. 

Reeder posted a video of the makeshift ceremony on May 22, in which the six seniors walked down an aisle past the soda, fruits and vegetables as the loudspeaker in the store called each senior’s name. Some even wore their caps and gowns to collect diplomas made by their coworkers at the grocery store. 

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Reeder told Storyful that he wanted to make sure his staff were able to have some variation of the experience of a traditional graduation, so he and his team gathered balloons, cupcakes, cards, gifts and even hand made diplomas for the students. 

“Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication not only towards your education but also your work here at Priceless! We couldn’t do it without you guys!" Reeder wrote.