VHS Class of 2020 graduates honored in parades
By LYNETTE HAALAND
Four Points News
Vandegrift graduating seniors were honored and celebrated on Friday , May 29 at three neighborhood parades in Grandview Hills, River Place and Steiner Ranch.
Parents organized the events and neighborhoods rallied to cheer on the Vipers.
Tricia Berry organized the parade in Grandview, Cyndi O’Rourke in River Place, and Nancy Jones, Michi Spielman and other seniors’ parents in Steiner.
“With the school’s planned graduation not until July and kids picking up their caps and gowns on the last day of school (Friday, May 29), it felt like something needed to be done to celebrate the end,” said Berry, who has a VHS graduating senior, Kale Farone, who is headed to Texas Tech University in the fall semeser to study chemical engineering.
The car parade idea has taken hold across the country and she knew her Grandview Hills neighborhood would be excited to help celebrate the local Class of 2020 graduates in this way.
“I also knew they couldn’t do their ‘Senior Walk’ at Grandview Hills Elementary and wanted to bring that into the celebration, thus the invitations to all GHE alumni, regardless of where they currently reside,” Berry said.
The Class of 2020 opened Grandview Hills Elementary School as kindergarteners in 2007 and many moved on to Four Points Middle School before heading to Vandegrift. GHE was a special community as a new school and the first IB elementary school in the district, she said.
Elementary school teachers from their kindergarten through 5th grade classes were also invited to come celebrate and several joined in, including Brenda Cruz who was principal of GHE when the Class of 2020 attended. She was a celebrity sighting along the parade route. The parade started near the elementary and wound through all parts of the Grandview Hills neighborhood with neighbors and families cheering along the way.
“That was amazing!! So much fun! We really enjoyed seeing all the seniors and cheering them on. Now I feel like we completed the year,” said Paula Berry, mother of Melia who is headed to Texas State University to study botany.
VHS graduating seniors also participated in the Steiner Ranch parade which was led by Precinct 2 Constables. The parade began at Hill Country Bible Church, traveled south on Quinlan Park Road, west on Steiner Ranch Blvd, and re-joining on Quinlan to River Ridge Elementary School.
The River Place parade hosted 48 cars and close to 70 seniors in its parade
“When I brought the idea to our HOA board, they moved quickly to plan,” said O’Rourke, whose graduating senior, Cassie, will go to Texas Tech. “It was a wonderful evening that we hope is the start of a new tradition!”
