Loveland Community Celebrates the LHS Class of 2021

Cars, Trucks & SUV’s filled with Loveland High School graduating seniors wove through the streets of Loveland Friday evening May 21

By Chuck Gibson

LOVELAND, OH (May 24, 2020)  – They couldn’t call it a parade – no parade permit due to ongoing pandemic restrictions – so, they called it a “moving assembly” when members of the Loveland High School (LHS) Class of 2021 decorated their cars, trucks, and SUV’s, jumped in and paraded through the neighborhood streets of Loveland Friday, May 21, 2021.

There were a lot of smiles and lots of LHS orange and black, not to mention some new colors representing the Colleges and Universities where these high school grads will continue their path to the future. Excitement ruled the evening with students and parents alike loaded up in the vehicles as they lined up in the LHS driveway and parking lot to start the (sound of clearing of the throat) parade through the community. A similar “moving assembly” took place one year ago in the midst of the pandemic shutdown. Josh and Meredith DeWitt – parents of Class of 2021 graduate Zach DeWitt – thought it would, once again, be a good way to celebrate the LHS grads this year.

“We had a great turnout and last year was absolutely awesome,” said Josh DeWitt, who organized the event this year. “We had two goals. The first was to recognize Loveland seniors, the second was to shut Loveland down.”

DeWitt really did say “shut down Loveland” for the record. Of course, they did ask all participating vehicles to properly observe all traffic and safety laws during the journey through the community. They were excited to repeat the event after seeing families with little kids all the way up to the elder grandparents show such enthusiasm during the event last year.

“We had people giving out graduation gifts,” DeWitt recalled. “We had people running out throwing money in the back of trucks for college fund for the kids. It was such a great event.”

Parents and families begged them to do it again this year. They did. The turnout was just as great this year with student graduates able to pile into vehicles and celebrate the trip through town together. That was different than last year when COVID quarantine and social distancing restricted each student to ride only with family. Claire Yoder rode together with her friend and fellow graduate Jessica Ferrell.

“This is a really great way for the entire community of Loveland to come together and support the seniors,” said Yoder. “Knowing people who live in Loveland get to come out and show their support for the high school, I think it’s really great.”

Yoder actually came back for her graduation ceremony after finishing school in December and moving out east to Boston where she will be attending Vermont as a college freshman in the fall. She plans to study nursing and Spanish 

“I flew back in just so I could get here for graduation weekend and celebrate with all my best friends,” Yoder said.

Her friend Jessica Ferrell is headed to Miami University in the fall. They were both riding together in a car driven by Claire’s mom, Katie Yoder with Jessica’s mom, Julie Ferrell riding shotgun in the passenger seat. Julie could not help but point out Jessica is her youngest

“That’s my baby,” said Julie Ferrell as her daughter talked about what the community support means to her as she celebrates graduating from high school in Loveland.

“I just think it’s great,” said Jessica. “With the year we’ve had, for all the seniors to come together and show that we’re all together; we’re still a community and we can do fun things like this together.”

Jessica might be back in the halls of Loveland schools again one day as a teacher. She didn’t commit to that, but her plan is to study early childhood education and who knows?

“Maybe, we’ll see,” she said.

The Dewitt’s led the way out of the high school drive and onto the streets where families, friends and just the Loveland community at large waited to see the parade of LHS Class of 2021 seniors drive past waving, honking horns, shouting and just having a grand celebration. In the community of Belle Meade, the Harris family, mom, dad, two brothers and grandma Susan Harris and grandpa Jim Harris waited to celebrate their son, brother and grandson Helge (pronounced Hell-yuh) Harris when he passed by.

“He’s the soccer star,” said Grandma Susan Harris. “Curly red, kind of strawberry red hair. He’s the scorer. I love it.”

They drove all the way from Tulsa, Oklahoma to see their grandson and enjoy the graduation weekend festivities. Both Jim and Susan Harris are very proud grandparents. They waved and shouted and whooped it up with the Harris family and their neighbors when the caravan of grads drove past.

“I’m still healthy and so happy to be able to do it,’ said Grandpa Jim Harris.

Whether it was parents, grandparents, siblings, or even neighbors, it was a time to celebrate the members of the Loveland High School Class of 2021.

The graduates enjoyed the festive journey around the community of Loveland celebrating their graduation from high school. It was great fun for everyone again in 2021!  

“The great thing is it’s pretty easy,” said DeWitt. “We have the blessing form the school, from the police force, from the townships; they even helped us with construction in a few places. We can pass this off to the next family next year pretty easily.”

The next question is: will they do it again? Has this become a new version of the old LHS graduation parade tradition?  The DeWitt’s may not be organizing it, but it’s likely someone else will.

“This is so much bigger and better,” DeWitt said. “We wanted to hit every neighborhood that had an entrance and exit. We hope we are taking the kids and the families past their houses where they grew up. That’s the cool part of taking it all around the city.”