In the absence of ceremonies, schools say goodbye to graduates on Watchfire digital displays

DANVILLE, Ill, – (June 24, 2020) – As schools grapple with how to hold virtual graduation ceremonies in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of administrators and local businesses are uniting to digitally bid farewells to grad billboards and signs, according to Watchfire Signs, a leading provider of outdoor and indoor LED signs and digital billboards.

In Jesup, Georgia, a southeastern Georgia city of just over 10,000, Wayne County’s only high school advertised its more than 300 graduate students on the county’s only digital billboard. Signatronics, the owner of the double-sided billboards, agreed to buy the ad.

“The students loved having their name and photo on the billboard, and we were also able to post the graduate plans after high school,” said Susan DeLeGal, owner of Signatronics. Each graduate’s photo and information ran three to four times a day for 10 days. The school plans to repeat the ads in July when they hope to graduate traditionally.

Based in Dayton, Ohio, Key Ads was also approached by local high schools to run ads congratulating graduates. Beavercreek High School published the names of more than 600 graduates, while a digital billboard elsewhere ran ads for each of Springboro High School’s 500 seniors, complete with their portraits.

“It really wasn’t difficult to run so many different ads,” said Camryn Newsom, graphic designer at Key Ads. “We set up an XML sheet with the student data and images, and then scheduled the feed to rotate through the data.”

Students appeared on Key Ad billboards four times a day for two weeks, giving family and friends ample opportunity to drive by and see their graduates.

An enterprising car dealership near Syracuse, NY used its three Watchfire electronic newsrooms to feature older photos of graduates from nearby Cicero-North Syracuse High School. Located near the intersection of I-81 and I-481, the dealership featured photos of nearly 600 seniors, along with their names.

Families stopped in the parking lots around the auto mall to see their graduates’ names in lights, and honked and cheered each student.

“Digital billboards and message centers are so flexible that last-minute ideas like this can quickly become a reality,” said Carol Wade, senior director of marketing at Watchfire Signs. “Once the owners of the display have the students’ names and photos, programming is easy. The software rotates through the messages so they can set and forget.”

About Watchfire

Watchfire Signs provides the best looking, most reliable video displays and virtual scoreboards that help sports venues enhance fan experiences and generate revenue. Headquartered in Danville, Illinois, Watchfire has been manufacturing electric signs since 1932 and LED displays since 1998 using carefully selected components from around the world. The company has more than 60,000 Watchfire LED displays in operation worldwide. Visit http://www.watchfiresigns.com for more information.

Contact:

Linda Muskin

Clarus Communications – for Watchfire signs

847.432.7300

E-mail:

lmuskin@teamclarus.com

Website:

www.watchfiresigns.com