The Okaloosa County School District plans to live stream this year's high school graduation ceremonies for deployed military families, and others who may not be able to attend them in person.
To watch the graduations, simply click on the individual schools' YouTube page at the Central Time listed. Please check OkaloosaSchools.com for updates should any of these addresses change.
The schedule is as follows:
June 1
•Choice High School, 6:30 p.m., http://bit.ly/1HXFlSv
June 4
•Niceville High School, 7 p.m., http://bit.ly/1FeWF12
•Baker School, 7:30 p.m., http://bit.ly/1JcQXml
•Fort Walton Beach High School, 7:30 p.m., http://bit.ly/1LOCIE0
June 5
•Laurel Hill School, 6 p.m., http://bit.ly/1RvShUa
•Choctawhatchee High School, 7:30 p.m., http://bit.ly/1AD0jX4
•Crestview High School, 8 p.m., http://bit.ly/1RvStTr
Superintendent Mary Beth Jackson said, “During April, the Month of the Military Child, I met with many of our local military commanders, and this idea was brought forward. Our service members sacrifice for us, and they sometimes miss their children’s milestone events.
"We decided we would use our technology, and bring graduation ceremonies to them live across the Internet," Jackson said.
“Live streaming on a large scale, with three simultaneous graduations each night, required a lot of quick technical support, and our IT team quickly moved to make this a reality," the superintendent said.
“I cannot thank our military members enough for their service to us, and in this small way, we hope to close the distance between them and their families.”
These broadcasts are being supported in part by the Okaloosa Public Schools Foundation, a not-for-profit, community-based foundation. It is a partnership between families, schools, communities and businesses dedicated to supporting and extending the educational opportunities of all individuals within Okaloosa County. Since its establishment in 1995, OPSF has funded educational enrichment programs including teacher grants for unique programs, student scholars in the Take Stock in Children Program, community educational initiatives, and student and teacher recognition awards.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa Schools is live streaming graduation ceremonies for deployed military, others