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Graduation goes online as thousands of students watch celebrity commencement speakers at home

By Dan Friedell
Matthew Delaney

From individual universities and colleges bringing celebrity graduation speakers to their students over the internet due to the coronavirus pandemic, to major companies like Chase and Facebook organizing virtual graduation celebrations, thousands of members of the Class of 2020 turned to their screens to kick of commencement season. See selected addresses below.

How Randolph-Macon Academy is prepping for in-person classes

By Neal Augenstein
"Male on the hall," calls out retired Air Force Brigadier General David Wesley as he gets ready to enter the mostly empty girls' dormitory at Randolph-Macon Academy, in Front Royal, Virginia. After hearing the acknowledgment from a female supervisor on duty, Wesley swings open the door, ready to demonstrate how the private boarding school intends to open safely, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Gen. Wesley — who introduces himself as "Dave" — is the head of school at the academy, which sits atop a hill in Front Royal, Virginia. "If you see it on the web page as 'President,' it just means I'm the principal of the high school."
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