Upper Arlington Schools and The City of Upper Arlington will be celebrating the Upper Arlington High School Class of 2020 through a cars-only parade on the morning of Sunday, May 24 beginning at 10 a.m. and lasting approximately three hours.
The parade will take seniors through the heart of Upper Arlington in cars as friends, family and community members offer support from their own parked cars (or yards if they happen to live along the parade route). A parent, guardian or other close family member of the graduate will serve as the driver so our seniors can don their caps and gowns and enjoy the moment.
Any Class of 2020 family members and friends who are not riding in the vehicle of the graduate may park along the route by 9:40 a.m and must remain parked for the duration of the parade. We strongly encourage that these spectators stay in their vehicles for the parade. While we greatly appreciate the support of neighbors and community members for our graduates, we kindly ask that any neighbors along the route who wish to watch the parade outside of their homes maintain an appropriate distance (at least 6 feet or more) from any other neighbors.
Thank you for your support in ensuring that this is a safe and celebratory event for our seniors and their families!
Please be advised of the following route and logistics information for the parade:
Parade Route Beginning at Northwest Boulevard and Ridgeview Road, the parade route is as follows (please see
the map):
- East on Ridgeview Road to Mount Holyoke Road
- North on Mount Holyoke Road to Trentwood Road (temporary reversal of normal one-way traffic flow)
- West on Trentwood Road to Northwest Boulevard
- South on Northwest Boulevard to end at Lane Avenue
Staging and Access Information
- The parade and preparations will result in disruptions to area traffic for up to five hours.
- Staging for the parade will occur on the northbound lanes of Northwest Boulevard, between Lane Avenue and Ridgeview Road, starting at 9:30 a.m. “No Parking” signs will be in place for this section of Northwest Boulevard for the hours of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Parade participants in the staging area will be instructed to keep driveway access clear in case of emergencies.
- All sections of the parade route will be closed to through-traffic by 9:45 a.m.
- Parents and other supporters of the students will be allowed to park their cars along the parade route and must be in place by 9:40 a.m. Parade watchers will be strongly encouraged to stay in or close to their vehicles (at curbside) and to maintain an appropriate distance from other spectators.
- If you live along the route and wish to leave during this timeframe, we recommend that you move your vehicle to a location outside the parade route. If that is not possible, you will be able to carefully pull from your home and drive along with the flow of the parade to the nearest cross street and exit the route there. Officers will be staged at main intersections including the Zollinger/Mount Holyoke and Zollinger/Northwest intersections and will provide assistance if necessary. If you live on the parade route, it will not be possible to return to your property while the parade is in progress. If you live elsewhere within the route’s boundaries, officers will assist you across the route on Zollinger Road to get to your home, but we ask that you avoid this if possible.
Virtual graduation ceremony
All community members are welcome to celebrate our seniors by viewing the virtual graduation ceremony on the district’s YouTube channel. The ceremony will be posted at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 24, and you may enjoy it at any time.