MEDIA ADVISORY: Bishop Ireton High School In Alexandria, Va., To Hold In-person Graduation Ceremony For Class Of 2021 Next Thursday, May 27; Graduates Bring Up To Four Guests 

High School to Resume Full-time, In-person Instruction for All Grade Levels Beginning Fall 2021, Following Year of Hybrid (In-Person and Virtual) Instruction

ARLINGTON, Va. - Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Va., is capping off an unprecedented year with an in-person graduation ceremony for the Class of 2021. Each graduate is permitted to bring four guests to the celebratory occasion. The ceremony, to be held on the school's football field, will take place Thursday, May 27, at 10 a.m. Bishop Ireton 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. This fall, the four high schools plan to resume full-time in-person instruction with ongoing COVID-19 mitigation safety protocols in place.

"The center of the Bishop Ireton crest bears the words, 'Advance Always.' Our senior class embodied the meaning of this motto as they advanced each day, embracing new ways to learn, connect and engage,” said Kathleen McNutt, Head of School, Bishop Ireton. “This year required the acceptance of protocols and restrictions for the health and safety of everyone. It was a sacrifice that our students willingly made, and our seniors were leaders in making this year the best it could possibly be."

Bishop Ireton High School Class of 2021 Graduation Ceremony

Date and Time:        
Thursday, May 27, 10 a.m.

Address:                    
201 Cambridge Rd., Alexandria, VA 22314

Location:                  
Football Field

(In the event of rain, the ceremony will be moved indoors to the gym. Rain or shine, the event will be livestreamed on the school's 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.

Bishop Ireton graduates will be starting the 2021-22 academic year at colleges and universities across 27 different states, the District of Columbia, Canada, France and Scotland. Among the institutions of higher education which have accepted 2021 graduates are Dartmouth College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 

“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.

# # #

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 45 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 17,000 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.