ROYAL CITY — The loss of a traditional graduation event has been a disappointment to some seniors who have been looking forward to the ceremony. One Royal School District student, in particular, is wrestling with the loss.

“Half of our senior year was stripped away,” said Esperanza Gutierrez, a graduating Royal senior. “We’re not going to get anything traditional.”

The Royal School District is planning an online graduation ceremony, followed by a parade of the seniors through town and fireworks.

When Gutierrez heard about the plans that the Royal School District had made for graduation, she was disappointed. She came up with her own proposal for what she thinks graduation should look like, contacted some of the other members of her class with her plan and started a petition.

Gutierrez said that she and the members of her class that she spoke to would rather wait until the end of July or beginning of August to have a more traditional graduation ceremony, than to have a graduation where their only recognition was through a car window.

“I’ve heard from some students that they would not go,” Gutierrez said. “If it’s through a car, there’s no point in being celebrated when no one would know they were actually there. We want to be more than a car passing by.”

Gutierrez’s proposal includes a more traditional approach with seniors walking across a stage while maintaining social distancing and wearing a mask and gloves. Families would remain in cars in the parking lot and be able to see the ceremony via Facebook live.

“The fireworks are fine,” Gutierrez said. “We didn’t like the idea of seeing things through cars. I don’t want to make that memory through a car.”

For Gutierrez, the whole reason for wanting a more traditional ceremony is to get a sense of normalcy in a chaotic time. She mentioned several different events, such as prom, the Sadie Hawkins Dance and the senior trip, that she and her fellow classmates were missing.

“I want some sense of normality since everything else was taken away,” Gutierrez said.

While the Royal School District would like to give its graduates the traditional end to their senior year, the “stay home, stay healthy” orders issued by Gov. Jay Inslee make such activities illegal.

“I understand her concern,” said Roger Trail, superintendent of the Royal School District. “Everyone was disappointed that we had to make plans for a non-traditional graduation, but we did see it as an opportunity to provide a unique experience for our seniors that no other graduating class would match.”

Trail said that the current graduation plan was developed by the senior class officers and the Royal High School Principal Rick Follett.

“They looked at the rules and planned accordingly,” Trail said. “We will continue to do our best job to celebrate and support the seniors, to celebrate their accomplishments.”

The Royal High School graduation is scheduled for Friday, June 5. According to information provided by the governor in a press conference on Friday, May 1, by the date of graduation, there is a chance that outdoor gatherings of 50 people may be allowed. But the number of graduating seniors plus staff that would need to be present to facilitate a more traditional graduation ceremony would well be over the legal limit for an outdoor gathering.

Trail said that the senior class officers understood “the pieces of the puzzle” and had participated in collaborative and constructive conversations with the high school principal regarding the graduation plan.

“We were truly saddened by the abrupt end to the senior year and had been looking forward to helping them celebrate their time at Royal in the traditional manner,” Trail said. “We understand their struggle to make sense of a new reality and feel for them deeply. I am encouraged, however, that we are at least able to still honor the seniors in a unique way that they will remember for the rest of their lives.”

Rachal Pinkerton may be reached via email at rpinkerton@suntribunenews.com.