2020 Summer Banners Highlight Local Seniors

These banners have the names, faces, and school logos of our local graduates, providing them local recognition all summer long throughout the downtown and by each high school.

The end of the school year and graduation here in Cheyenne were different than in years past. In recognition of the graduating seniors from all four of our local high schools-Central, East, South, and Triumph- the Downtown Cheyenne Development Authority, Western Vista Credit Union, and Black Hills Energy teamed up to create and place banners around the community.

These banners have the names, faces, and school logos of our local graduates, providing them local recognition all summer long throughout the downtown and by each high school. Seniors this year have the unique opportunity to find their banner, pose for pictures with it, and create a new and fun memory in what is an otherwise different and difficult year.

The signs were a group effort and an exciting addition to the banner program. In addition to the work of the DDA, Western Vista, and Black Hills, these signs were made possible by sponsoring businesses, the hard work of volunteers, the expert work of the printing companies who produced the banners, and everyone else who helped every step of this process.

Lorrell Walter, senior vice president of marketing and member experience at Western Vista Credit Union explains why they helped make these banners a reality, “We recognize that this year’s graduates are missing out on some of the signature activities associated with the final year of high school. We still want this to be a ‘banner year’ for these kids and this project is a literal depiction of that.”

The DDA’s executive director, Amber Ash, also supports the positive way the banners could help this year’s seniors, “COVID-19 has changed the senior experience for every graduate. Signs for Seniors is a way to celebrate the class of 2020 and recognize their accomplishments. The DDA felt like this was a unique way to honor the seniors as they embark on the next phase of their lives.”

The banners allow the community to support and engage with the seniors in their lives who graduated this spring. The first banner was hung up downtown on June 4 and seniors, friends, and family members had the exciting chance to spend time exploring the area around their high school or downtown looking for the exact location of their banner. Information about the general location of each student is now available on Facebook after diligent mapping by volunteers.

Each banner represents the hard work and dedication of the students pictured, the years they spent studying and growing as students, and the achievement of graduating despite school closures and COVID-19. The banners also represent and showcase a community that supports students.

Banners will stay up until the beginning of the new school year. It is our hope that they provide encouragement to the seniors as they begin the next phase of their lives, providing part of a positive memory of the end of high school for Laramie County 1 graduates.

We invite all seniors and their families to take pictures of their banners and tag them #signsforseniorscheyenne and share them to the Signs for Seniors – Cheyenne Facebook page. Even with the new social distancing guidelines and the space between us, Cheyenne can celebrate the accomplishments of all our seniors together.