LAKELAND, Fla. — An advertising company in Lakeland is displaying the name and picture of all 2020 graduates in Polk County from June 3 through June 28.
“Ever since we announced that traditional graduation ceremonies would be cancelled, our community has rallied around the Class of 2020. Lamar has been an outstanding partner to Polk County Public Schools for years, and now they’ve stepped up once again, giving each of our seniors the chance to see themselves on billboards throughout the county,” said Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd.
Lamar Advertising parented with Polk County Public Schools for the special recognition.
“We are deeply grateful to Lamar, and we’re proud to be part of a community that has truly come together to celebrate the accomplishments of its graduates," Byrd said. "Class of 2020, be sure to visit your billboard. What an honor!”
Full list of schools and billboard locations:
U.S. 98 South, south of County Road 540A (Lakeland)
- Bartow High School
- Fort Meade Middle-Senior High School
- Gause Academy of Leadership
- Summerlin Academy
East side of U.S. 98 South, south of Polk Parkway (Lakeland)
- Fresh Start Bartow
- Polk Grad Academy
Cypress Gardens Boulevard, 200 feet east of County Road 540A, facing westbound (Winter Haven)
- Fresh Start Community School Winter Haven
- Karen M. Siegel Academy
Cypress Gardens Boulevard, 200 feet east of County Road 540A, facing eastbound (Winter Haven)
- Ridge Technical College
- Winter Haven High School
U.S. 98 South at Combee Road (Lakeland)
- Harrison School for the Arts
- Lakeland Senior High School
East side of South Florida Avenue at School House Road (Lakeland)
- George Jenkins High School
- Mulberry High School
East side of U.S. 98 North, 700 feet north of Daughtery Road (Lakeland)
- Fresh Start Lakeland
- Lake Gibson High School
East side of U.S. 27, 70 feet south of County Road 540A (southeast Polk)
- Frostproof High School
- Roosevelt Academy
West side of U.S. 17, 0.1 miles south of County Road 655 (Winter Haven)
- Jean O’Dell Learning Center
- Lake Region High School
South side of U.S. 92 at Combee Road (Lakeland)
- Auburndale High School
- Doris Sanders Learning Center
- Tenoroc High School
West side of U.S. 27, 1.2 miles south of Interstate 4
- Haines City High School
East side of U.S. 98 North, north of Interstate 4
- Kathleen High School
"In Lamar's 100-plus years as a company, we have had a long tradition of giving back to the communities where we operate. When PCPS reached out to us with the idea of recognizing Polk County senior graduates on our digital units during this special time in their lives, we gladly jumped on it," Lamar General Manager Jim Maskas said.
"We hope the graduates will visit the billboards and take a few minutes to simply enjoy how far they’ve come," Maskas added. "We also hope the broader community will receive these billboards as messages of hope. The pandemic cancelled traditional graduations, and so many other events and elements of normal life, but because of these young people, the future is still very bright.”
