RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Richmond community is rallying together to bring students closure after the school year abruptly ended early after Tuesday’s deadly graduation shooting.
While Richmond high school graduations are being rescheduled, “moving on ceremonies” are not. These ceremonies are typically held for kindergarten, fifth and eighth grade students.
When Richmond parent Yolanda Goode found out a social media post sharing that the Ricky Johnson and Friends Foundation was organizing ceremonies of its own, she jumped at the chance to help out.
“I’m not doing enough! Who’s going to do enough? Who is going to take the extra step to do more than what we need to do?” Goode said. “And when he made it (the post), it was the best collab – it was like God said: ‘merge together.’”
The following ceremony schedule has been set up for next week:
Monday, June 12, at 10 a.m.:
- Carver Elementary
- Overby-Sheppard Elementary
- Henderson Elementary
- Albert Hill Elementary
Monday, June 12, at 2 p.m.:
- Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
- Woodville Elementary
- Chimborazo Elementary
- Henry L. Marsh Elementary
Tuesday, June 13 at 10 a.m.:
- Oak Grove Elementary
- Lucille Brown Elementary
- Westover Hills Elementary
Tuesday, June 13 at 2 p.m.:
- Boushall Elementary
- Blackwell Elementary
- JL Francis Elementary
All ceremonies are open to the public.
After the ceremonies, there will be music, an inspirational speaker and a backdrop for kids to take pictures with. Staff and volunteers are also working to prepare certificates for students.
Ricky Johnson says that more than 100 parents have signed their students up for the ceremonies since registration opened on Thursday.
“Each and every parent that’s going to be represented on Monday and Tuesday took the time to register their child, to let that child know ‘we congratulate you for what you’ve done over the last nine months, you’re really important to me,’” Ricky Johnson of the Ricky Johnson and Friends Foundation said.
The deadline to register for the celebration is noon on Friday, June 9. Any parents of students who want to celebrate must register on the Ricky Johnson and Friends website under the “Contact” tab.
Johnson shared that the ceremonies are happening with the help of teacher and community volunteers, but he is hoping more volunteers will also get involved.
