The 2020 graduates from Dawson County High School congregated at Atlanta Motorsports Park on Friday, June 5th to collect their diplomas as they crossed the finish line on the track and high school.
Graduates arrived on Friday afternoon and experienced the 2-mile road course firsthand as they were escorted around the track by members of DriveStrong, a teen driving school located at AMP. When they reached the finish line, Dawson County Principal Brody Hughes presented them with their high school diplomas and they posed for a photo op with the Appalachian Mountains in the background.
The Coronavirus pandemic has left virtually no aspects of life unscathed in its disruption of daily life, and the graduating class of 2020 is no exception. At Dawson County High School, the situation was no different and seniors were unable to celebrate this monumental milestone with their classmates so alternative ideas began to form on how to celebrate this accomplishment in the midst of a pandemic.
“We really just wanted to celebrate our seniors,” Principal Brody Hughes explained. “Mrs. Zappendorf called and said, ‘AMP would like to do something for the seniors at the track’ and it was the perfect way to wind down the year.”
With Dawson County’s incredible racing heritage and home to the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, there couldn’t have been a more fitting send-off for the class of 2020.
Seanie Zappendorf recalled the process, revealing that, “I was approached over 4 weeks ago to help do something for the graduates of Dawson County High School. At the time there was not going to be an event for their graduates like many who just picked up their diplomas at the school given a designated time.”
“It took about a month, but I finally had the principal’s blessing to have the graduates at The Atlanta Motorsports Park track to receive their diploma photo opp at the finish line,” Zappendorf said.
“Honestly it was really nice to finally get something since we were kind of forgotten due to the effects of the Coronavirus,” Dawson County Graduate and Salutatorian, Harly Devilla, said after the event. “It meant a lot. It shows that people still care.”
Zappendorf emphasized that, “With the help of AMP and DriveStrong teen driving staff, they were able to make this event happen for our Dawson County High School 2020 graduates. I want to thank the AMP owner, Jeremy Porter, for his generosity and his staff for making this happen. I’m blessed to have had a small part in it.”
