Irvington High School Class of 2020 Graduation Parade
The Irvington High School Class of 2020 is a very special group of young men and women. From academics to sports to drama and volunteer impact, this class can hold its own with any of the outstanding classes that have graced the halls of Irvington High.
This class has also had a string of bad luck. Their 8th grade trip to Washington DC was ruined mid-way through due to a horrendous stomach bug that was affectionately nicknamed “IRV-bola”. Their trip to Gettysburg was also cut short by a serious illness. Then, COVID-19 ruined their last chances at glory in spring sports, canceled the prom and made a traditional graduation impossible.
Luckily for the Class of 2020, the school administration, working with a great group of volunteer parents and students has planned a “graduation parade” for this Saturday, June 20th. I encourage all Irvington residents and Bulldog alumni to assemble along Main Street to cheer for the graduates as the parade progresses from the Bridge Street Properties to the MS/HS Campus. The parade is scheduled to start at approximately 10:00 a.m. and be finished by 11:30 a.m. As you show your Bulldog pride, community members are reminded to observe all social distancing requirements. If you have errands to run on Main Street, I suggest you try to complete them before or after the parade, although full closures are not expected. What is expected is a fun tribute to a special group of students.
The District has also produced a virtual graduation ceremony that will be released on June 20th at 8:00 p.m. and will facilitate an in-person, student-only graduation ceremony on June 27th at 10:00 a.m. I commend IUFSD Superintendent Dr. Kristopher Harrison and his staff for being so flexible and adding additional celebrations as the Governor has allowed them.
Congratulations to the Irvington High School Class of 2020, with a special wish going to my daughter Bella!
Irvington Volunteer Ambulance Corps
Speaking of a great group of people, the Irvington Volunteer Ambulance (“IVAC”) has been providing emergency medical services for the Village of Irvington since 1963. While many of you are aware of the vital work and heroic effort that their members put in, there are still many residents who are not aware that IVAC does NOT receive any funding from your tax dollars or the Village of Irvington.
The COVID-19 crisis put IVAC on the frontlines as they were the lead agency for transporting Irvington’s COVID-19 patients to hospitals. Every call they respond to is under the assumption that the patient is COVID-19 positive. As a result, IVAC is required to suit up in full personal protective gear for even the most “routine” call. Additionally, in a cruel ironic twist, the number of usual hospital transports are down and that means they have less revenue (from insurance reimbursements) to sustain the ambulance corps. At the same time, IVAC is spending thousands of dollars to provide the necessary supplies for the pandemic. They are very much in need your support.
Again, IVAC is not funded by your taxes or the Village government. If you would like to assist them financially, you can make out a check to “Irvington Volunteer Ambulance Corps” and mail it to PO Box 101, Irvington, NY 10533. Alternatively, online donations may be made with a credit card, debit card or PayPal at IrvingtonEMS.com (scroll down and click the “Donate” button) or on the Irvington VAC EMS Training Center Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/IrvingtonVolunteerAmbulanceCorps.
Juneteenth
At our virtual Board of Trustees meeting on Monday June 15th, my board and I voted unanimously to officially declare June 19, 2020, Juneteenth, as a day to honor, celebrate and commemorate the African American community in Irvington. The full text of our proclamation:
WHEREAS
Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States and is also known as Emancipation Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, and Black Independence Day and
WHEREAS
On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger, a New Yorker and a West Point graduate, arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery which had come 2½ years earlier when President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, and
WHEREAS
Many slave owners in Texas had continued to hold their enslaved people captive after the original announcement and therefore it was on June 19, 1865 that approximately 250,000 former enslaved Africans learned that legal slavery had ended and
WHEREAS
Juneteenth became then and continues to be today, a symbolic date representing African American freedom, and
WHEREAS
New York State recognized Juneteenth as a holiday by N.Y. Executive Law, chapter 168-a(3) in 2004 and
WHEREAS
The Village of Irvington Board of Trustees holds a strong belief in the value of equity and inclusion and fair treatment for all those who live, work or visit the Village, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED that June 19, 2020, Juneteenth, is officially recognized as a day to honor, celebrate and commemorate the African American community in Irvington.
Please be safe and continue to wear a mask in public!
All the best,
Brian C. Smith, Mayor