For the third time in as many years, seniors and their loved ones gathered outside for Dunkirk High School’s commencement at Karl Hoeppner Field.

The Class of 2022 and Class of 2021 gathered at the football field next to the high school by necessity due to social distancing guidelines and health and safety concerns spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. But the experience was so positive that the Class of 2022 overwhelmingly supported an alfresco experience for their graduation on Saturday.

Greeted with a seasonably warm and sunny summer morning, a long line of seniors took turns for the traditional ringing of its 19th-century bell located on campus. Then, surrounded by family and friends, the graduates proceeded onto the field for speeches and the distribution of diplomas.