ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – When St. Johns County decided in April that all high school graduation ceremonies would take place virtually, some parents decided to take matters into their own hands.

At St. Augustine High School, a group of volunteers were determined to give graduating seniors some kind of a moment to remember. So, on Wednesday evening just before 6 p.m., the cars started to lineup to pull through the bus loop at St Augustine High.

“We have really lost everything,” St. Augustine High School senior Sabrina Robinson said. “We don’t get to walk across the stage like we’ve been looking forward to over the past 12 years of our education. We don’t get that like we expected to, or everything that we wanted to in our lives.”

Parents and some seniors went around to local businesses to gather a little something to help send seniors on their way. A gift bag with cookies, discounts on ice cream and food, and some school necessities, like pens and note pads, to give to each graduating senior.

“I think that it brings a light to the darkness,” St. Augustine High School senior Rachel Banta said. “It shows that local businesses and families alike can come together and that they do care about us, even though some of the things have been canceled and we didn’t get to participate in everything.”

As each car pulled through, parents, teachers, administrators, and other students and family were there to yell, applaud and wave signs of congratulations to the seniors who had the final months of their high school careers disrupted by the global pandemic.

“This is definitely a year they won’t forget,” said Spanish teacher Nazli Kayan, also a parent of a graduating senior. “Hopefully it made them stronger. Hopefully, they become adults where they’re like, ‘If I can go through this, I can go through anything with a smile on my face.’"

While this won’t replace a traditional graduation ceremony, the drive-through event did give the St. Augustine High School class of 2020 something to remember.

“I was something nice that they put together for us quickly,” said senior DeAsia Anderson. “I’m hoping we get to have a graduation, maybe later on.”

“The teachers definitely care about us,” said senior Taylor Meeks. “We can tell through this experience. It’s not just normal high school. They get us through. They actually care.”

Nobody’s going to forget the impact the coronavirus had on the senior class this year. But it doesn’t mean that all of their memories from their final months of high school have to be about social isolation and distance learning.