The long-delayed Hopkinton High School Class of 2020 graduation ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 2, beginning at 10 a.m. The event will be held at Chick Welch Field at David Hughes Stadium (the HHS football field). Rain date is the following day at 10 a.m. The event will be broadcast on HCAM.

“We are thankful that our students will have the opportunity to come together one last time as a class and walk across the stage to receive their diploma,” HHS principal Evan Bishop wrote in an email to the HHS community on June 25. “While this year’s graduation will be traditional in some ways, there will be many aspects of our ceremony that will need to be modified to ensure the safety of all attendees.”

All attendees must wear face coverings before, during and after the ceremony. Anyone who refuses to wear a face covering or mask without a valid justification — medical or other disabling condition — may be denied entry.

Attendance is limited to the graduates and three guests per graduate (all of whom must be registered in advance). The graduates and their guests will be seated together on provided chairs on the field in unmarked 12-foot squares, from end zone to end zone, facing the stage. A map with seating arrangements will be shared prior to the event.

Faculty and staff members who attend will be seated 6 feet apart in the bleachers once the ceremony begins.

Graduates will gather on the turf field (below the football field) at 9:30 a.m. for a brief rehearsal and run through of expectations.

Families with the last names that begin with A-K will park in the water tower lot, while families with the last names beginning with L-Z can park in any of the lots in front of the high school. There should only be one car per family.

Guidance from the state suggests ceremonies be kept as brief as possible. As a result, there will be limited speeches and no musical number. Seniors will walk onto stage when their name is read. As they accept their diploma, there will be no handshakes or hugging. At the end of the ceremony, families and the graduate will be dismissed row by row.