August 21, 2020

Pioneer Charter School of Science students celebrate delayed graduation due to COVID-19

Published on August 21, 2020

As schools continue to prepare their reopening plans for the 2021 school year, 93 seniors from Pioneer Charter Schools in Everett (PCSS I) and Saugus (PCSS II) celebrated their long-awaited 2020 graduations on Aug. 19 during two separate ceremonies at the parking lot of the PCSS II building on Main Street in Saugus.

The ceremonies marked the end of a tumultuous year for the 48 graduates of PCSS 1 in Everett and the 45 graduates of PCSS II in Saugus, who had to shift to online learning practically overnight as a result of COVID-19.

Despite the obstacles the pandemic presented, the Class of 2020 persevered and received their much overdue congratulations.

“Though this was their last year of high school, it was a year of firsts for many of our students,” said Barish Icin, chief executive officer of PCSS. “Their first online learning experiences, their first pandemic, their first test of character as they gracefully handled the rites of passages in a young person’s life getting delayed. Our students have already shown they have the grit, mettle and perseverance they need to be successful as they move forward into the next chapters of their lives.”