Waynesboro High School graduation parade continues downtown

By Rebecca J. Barnabi
For Augusta Free Press

A tradition continues this year with Waynesboro High School’s Graduation Parade through downtown at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Begun in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which made a traditional graduation ceremony impossible, the parade is an opportunity for the community to celebrate this year’s graduates.

Principal Bryan Stamm said “whether or not you have a student in the school,” the parade is a community event because the graduates are becoming adult members of the community.

Everyone is invited to drive down Main Street from the top of the hill past Augusta Cleaners to Heritage on Main Street to applaud and congratulate the more than 200 members of Waynesboro High’s Class of 2022.

Stamm said he hopes the weather holds out for the graduates to stand on the sidewalks between Benny’s Pizza and The Wayne Theatre.

“And we can start off the week on a positive note by getting our kids out there,” he said.

The parade is organized in conjunction with the city of Waynesboro and Waynesboro Police Department to identify the best time.

“We obviously don’t want to disrupt the business flow of businesses downtown,” Stamm said. The local businesses are courteous to allow the parade to take up Main Street for one hour. “And we want to be respectful of the fact that they are running a business.”

The Class of 2022 will graduate in the athletic field on Friday, May 20, at 7 p.m. If weather does not permit an outdoor ceremony, the graduation ceremony will be moved inside the high school on the morning of Saturday, May 21.