LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Class of 2020 won't be overlooked if it's up to Jefferson County High School Principal Artie Dietz. He's on a mission to make sure the coronavirus doesn't keep graduates out of cap and gown. 

Because the commencement ceremony is such a rite of passage for students, the staff at Jefferson County High are getting creative to get diplomas out for a nonconventional kind of recognition. Dietz and staff are hand-delivering the official documents to the seniors who have met graduation requirements. 

“We want to share in that celebration. It’s a celebration for all of us, and not having that finality especially when you’ve worked with the students for four years- yeah, there’s a void there," says Dietz.

On Monday, Heather Green's house was his first stop. When her special package containing diploma, cap, and gown were delivered, she remarked, "just...wow!"

Green was saddened to think her class may not get the chance to cross a stage but is now happy to feel "officially" graduated with the package and in-person delivery. To her peers, she says, “try not to think about the sad part about not being able to do things, but focus on the fact that you made it! Even through all of this, you achieved an education — you graduated. You’ve been working on this since we started kindergarten and now we’ve made it."

The next Monday delivery was to Ghadeer Sabri. 

“It’s like the first door to new life. It’s like the first door to adulthood!” she explained the feeling to Spectrum News 1. 

In "one of the happiest moments" of her life, she tells others, “don’t let people change your mind. Don’t let people make you give up. Do what you want in life!"

The staff continued the deliveries to students each Monday.