St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, VA., To Hold in-Person Graduation Ceremony for Class of 2021 This Sunday, June 6; Graduates Bring Up to Six Guests

Following Hybrid (In-Person and Virtual) Learning Since Fall 2020, Upperclassmen Returned to Full-time, In-person Instruction this Spring

All Grade Levels Will Be Full-Time, In-Person for 2021-22 Academic Year

ARLINGTON, Va. - St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., is capping off an unprecedented year with an in-person graduation ceremony for the Class of 2021. Each graduate is permitted to bring six guests to the celebratory occasion. The ceremony, to be held on the school's stadium field, will take place Sunday, June 6, at 9 a.m. Paul VI and all high schools in the Catholic Diocese of Arlington safely re-opened at the beginning of the 2020-21 academic year for hybrid (in-person and virtual) learning, as all 41 brick-and-mortar schools reopened for fully in-person or hybrid instruction.

“We wanted to make the end of senior year for our Class of 2021 as normal as possible, and we were very pleased to bring them all back together in-person full-time this spring. Our senior class has endured and overcome a lot of challenges these past few years, and we commend them for their grace and perseverance. We are so proud of our graduating seniors and excited for all the opportunities ahead of them,” said Virginia Colwell, Head of School.

ST. PAUL VI CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2021 GRADUATION CEREMONY

Date and Time:           
Sunday, June 6, 9 a.m.

Address:                     
42341 Braddock Rd., Chantilly, VA 20152

Location:                     
Panther Stadium Field

In the event of rain, the ceremony will be moved to the indoor Panther Activity Center with two guests per graduate as opposed to six. Rain or shine, the event will be livestreamed on the St. Paul VI Catholic High School Official YouTube Channel. 

Media Credentials:  
Interested Media, contact Amber Roseboom, Director of Media Relations, Catholic Diocese of Arlington, at 571-215-8731 or Amber.Roseboom@arlingtondiocese.org.

In addition to offering hybrid instruction for the entirety of the 2020-21 academic year to date, Paul VI began phasing students back to full-time, in-person instruction this spring, with seniors returning in March and juniors in April. Freshmen and sophomores remained on the hybrid schedule, alternating between two days of in-person instruction and two days of virtual learning. This fall, the four diocesan high schools plan to resume full-time, in-person instruction for all grade levels with ongoing COVID-19 mitigation safety protocols in place.

Ninety-nine percent of the Paul VI Class of 2021 graduates will be attending colleges and universities this fall with more than $16 million in college scholarship offers. College and university acceptances include American University, Boston University, Catholic University of America, Duke University, New York University, University of Mary Washington, Savannah College of Art and Design, University of California - Berkeley and Los Angeles, University of Virginia, and many more. Twenty-seven Paul VI athletes will also go on to play at the college level. Academic honors for PVI seniors include two perfect ACT scores, three National Merit finalists, five National Merit commended scholars, 20 AP scholars and one national AP scholar. With service to others at the core of PVI education, 2021 graduates have completed more than 14,500 hours of service. 

“The in-person graduations for the Class of 2021 in our diocesan high schools are a particular highlight in a year of remarkable accomplishments. It was an incredible challenge for all of our school communities to adjust to COVID-19 protocols,” added Dr. Joseph Vorbach, Superintendent for Schools, Catholic Diocese of Arlington. “In-person graduations are a mark of the resilience of the graduates and of hope for a continued gradual return to the norms and traditions of school life going forward. We salute the Class of 2021!”

For more information on Catholic schools in the Diocese of Arlington, visit here.

Interested media should contact Amber Roseboom, Director of Media Relations, Catholic Diocese of Arlington, at 571-215-8731 or Amber.Roseboom@arlingtondiocese.org.

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The Catholic Diocese of Arlington was established on August 13, 1974, and is home to 71 parishes and more than 460,000 Catholics. There are currently 276 priests serving in the Diocese and 49 seminarians discerning a priestly vocation. The Diocese has 37 parish (K-8) schools, four diocesan high schools, four independent Catholic schools and five free-standing (not connected with a parish school) pre-schools, serving more than 16,800 students. 

The Diocese includes the seven cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, Manassas Park, and Winchester and the 21 counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, King George, Lancaster, Loudoun, Madison, Northumberland, Orange, Page, Prince William, Rappahannock, Richmond, Shenandoah, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Warren and Westmoreland.