Dover honors Class of 2020

DOVER — The community celebrated Green and White Day Friday in honor of the Class of 2020.

Businesses and residents decorated their properties in school colors to acknowledge the perseverance, grace and strength of the graduating seniors.

Dover High School English teacher Jennifer Parsont said, “I love my seniors. A lot of what I teach is geared specifically for seniors so I spend a lot of time with them. It's killing me not to hug them.”

Seniors and their families paraded through Dover from Central Avenue to Alumni Drive, where graduates were greeted by school faculty and staff, along with the Dover police and fire departments and the mayor. The participants concluded the parade with a victory lap past the school, which was adorned in green and white. The idea was based on based on the model of Spirit Week, which is held annually in the fall and culminates with the most anticipated school-day of the year, Green and White Day.

“I want to say to the seniors congratulations,” said Peter Driscoll, DHS principal. “We tried to put this together in honor of this being a different spring. Some of the things you couldn't have this year we tried to replace with other things. A lot of people in the community have asked for some ways they can recognize the seniors and it's also an opportunity for our teachers to put eyes on the seniors kind of as a farewell.”

The coronavirus pandemic has forced school officials and parents to come up with different ways to mark graduation this year. This has included adopting a senior and a lawn sign campaign.

“We are so grateful to the community for supporting our seniors,” Driscoll said.

The unconventional graduation season continues with a virtual graduation on Wednesday, June 10, at 7 p.m. It will be streamed on Community Channel 22 and the city’s YouTube channel.

For information, visit dover.k12.nh.us.