The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has gone far beyond public health. For the high school Class of 2020, it’s meant the loss of what many see as important rites of passage, like prom and senior trips. Other milestones, like high school graduation ceremonies, are in limbo or have already been altered. And with schools slated to remain closed through the end of the school year, classmates who once spent nearly every day with one another have now found themselves apart sooner than they thought.

A parade honoring Keene Central School’s Class of 2020, planned by class adviser Natalie Buysee, on Sunday, May 3, honored students for their bravery throughout this crisis and highlight all the work they’ve done in the lead-up to this next chapter of their lives.

In a close-knit town with a population of around 1,000 people, split between the hamlets of Keene and Keene Valley, what started as a small drive-by event on Sunday afternoon blossomed into a celebration between 13 students and a community that loves them.

There were banners and signs everywhere — one on nearly every business and home lining the parade route, each with a message for the school’s next graduating class.

Some were general: “KCS STRONG” or “CONGRATS KCS CLASS OF 2020.” Some celebrated specific students, such as one sign affixed to a car that read, “WE LOVE YOU EMILY!”

Essex County Sheriff’s Deputy Kaycee Kolodzey kicked off the parade driving a police cruiser. Members of the Keene Valley Fire Department and Lake Placid Police Department also took part — partly because members of those departments had family members in the KCS graduating class. Alyssa Summo rode with her older brother Jesse, a Lake Placid police officer, in his patrol car. Hunter Buysee rode in a fire truck with his father; both are Keene Valley volunteer firefighters.

The students, each in their individual vehicles, remained the focal point. Their names were on yard signs, banners and painted across a school bus. Pat. Lynn. Isabella. Emily. Elyssa. Camille. Charlotte. Hunter. Alp. Caitlin. Alyssa. Shervon. Emrys.

Under clear, sunny skies, the students waved to small groups of people watching from the roadside as they traveled down state routes 9N and 73. The students smiled wide. Some laughed and pointed when they caught a glimpse of their families and friends watching them.

When the students reached the Keene firehouse, firefighters leaped into their vehicles and turned on lights and sirens, blaring the horns. Cheers from onlookers joined the mix to create a cacophony of noise that seemed to underscore a point. Though ending their high school careers in self-isolation, the Class of 2020 isn’t leaving quietly. They’re leaving with a bang.