Pomp & Strange Circumstance Above: Brooke King is all smiles as she accepts her diploma. Top: The cap worn by Halle Swallows symbolizes a year cut short by COVID-19. Richland graduates prepare for their world by Jim McCarty | jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop H igh school graduates have had to suffer through endless repeats of "Pomp and Circumstance" for generations. A typical graduation ceremony would feature fresh-faced seniors lined up in caps and gowns while a packed auditorium resounds with the cheers of friends and family and the strains of "I'll always remember, my senior year." For the class of 2020 things were much different. Some schools cancelled graduation altogether. Others went online, bestowing virtual diplomas. Car parades and photo stops were organized in an all-out effort to honor graduates while maintaining social distancing in a world turned upside down by COVID-19 pandemic. For graduates at Richland R-1 High School in Essex, their community was determined to provide its seniors with a memorable ceremony. Graduation went on with students carefully spaced 6 feet apart and parents sitting 44 RURAL MISSOURI | JULY 2020 in vehicles while listening to speeches on their car radios. "It wasn't what we expected, and it wasn't what we really wanted to do," says Emily McGowen, one of the 18 Richland 2020 graduates. "But I feel like our school put a lot of effort into it and our community definitely did to make it good for us. It was the best thing we could have had compared to what was going on." Part of that community working behind the scenes was SEMO Electric Cooperative, which serves the small school located near Essex in southeast Missouri. Co-op employees helped make graduation possible by installing a temporary electric service and a Wi-Fi hotspot through its GoSEMO Fiber internet service. GoSEMO's hotspots also let students without internet service do homework. "Without SEMO Electric this graduation does not go off," says Kyle Carter, business teacher for Richland High School and one of the many people tasked with setting up the graduation. "They were a lifeline for us putting out that electric and Wi-Fi so we were able to have electric in