Congratulations, Class of 2020!
To the Class of 2020, congratulations on your achievement and best wishes for success and happiness in the years ahead.
We hope our tribute section to the Class of 2020 can be a special keepsake to help mark and remember this important passage in your life.
When it became apparent that because of the COVID-19 pandemic this year's graduates were not going to get to enjoy the traditional commencement ceremony that had been a benchmark in our lives, we asked ourselves what the newspaper could do to try to help replace some of that loss.
This section is one of the ideas that grew out of that and pulling it together has been a labor of love for all of us and especially for the editors who directed it, Deputy City Editor Charles Keeshan and Paul Valade, deputy director of visual journalism.
We haven't been alone in making special attempts to make this year's graduations special.
That much is obvious with a drive around town to see all of the congratulatory signs that have popped up.
There are more than 90 suburban high schools in the area and almost without exception each of them has gone out of its way to add a flourish to their virtual commencement events.
Certainly, this section wouldn't have been possible without the efforts of scores of principals and staff at our high schools. We have been amazed at their efforts to support the project.
We've also made an effort to provide a strong tribute online at dailyherald.com/graduations.
Among the features on that tribute is a commencement address by renowned comedian Sebastian Maniscalco, a graduate of Rolling Meadows High School before moving to Los Angeles and becoming a star. We thank him greatly for that contribution.