QUINCY — The line of cars went on for more than a mile and several city blocks, as Quincy High School seniors waited in the late spring heat to collect their diplomas Saturday.

It could have been a somber moment, as students waited in line for hours, unable to hug their friends or rush onto the field after the ceremony or toss their caps. Instead, it was a party, with loud music and cheers, students dancing on flatbeds and seemingly every green and gold balloon, streamer and ribbon in the state attached to their cars as they paraded their way to the school.

The good cheer and flexibility of the students in attendance was a testament to their character, Principal Marcus Pimpleton said in an interview.

“We have always known that our kids are incredibly resilient, so it shouldn’t surprise me that they were so flexible and adaptable, but it’s still remarkable,” Pimpleton said. “I just think it says a lot about their character and what’s really at their core and in their heart.”

It was the first time that many had seen each other in months, after the ongoing pandemic forced schools to close and friends to keep their distance. The last time many had seen each other, they were being escorted out of their classes by staff after it was learned an employee at the school had tested positive for the coronavirus, which Pimpleton noted in his speech Saturday.

“What a crazy year the last couple of months have been!” Pimpleton said. “The last time I saw all of you together in the same place, we were rushing you out of the school building for what we thought would be a brief health-related closure.”

Saturday’s event started with speeches from the district superintendent and school principal, as well as valedictorian Bryn Heikes and salutatorian Nora Medina. While only a few family members and staff were present for those speeches as per social distancing guidelines, they were streamed over social media, where parents and students queueing could watch.

Heikes spoke on the lessons she had learned from failure and the necessity of facing failure head-on in order to grow.

“That doesn’t make it more fun to fail,” Heikes said. “But as we begin to navigate our brand-new post-graduation lives, we shouldn’t tiptoe through life petrified of making mistakes, but instead dive head first into every opportunity that presents itself.”

Along with the backdrop of the pandemic that drastically changed the senior year for graduates, Medina noted the protests against police brutality taking place across the country.

“What we are living through now is historical, and we will be remembered in the history books,” Medina said. “In such trying times, with the pandemic, racial inequity, ignorance and more, I want to sincerely thank those advocates that have been fighting for what is right.”

After the speeches, families began driving up one at a time, with volunteers handing grads individually packaged doughnuts and cookies donated by local businesses, as well as white and gold roses as the grads drove by.

As they neared the finish line, where grads were rushed out of their cars and onto the stage where they received their diplomas, parents, grandparents, siblings and cousins cheered them on, before they were ushered off the stage and into the rest of their lives.

For more photos of the Quincy High School graduation, visit the photo gallery here.