Signs for high school seniors to go on display near town hall

May 16, 2020

Graduation ceremonies for high school students in the class of 2020 won’t be able to go on as planned, but a tribute to their accomplishment will be displayed on the lawn of the Wareham Town Hall, thanks to the efforts of one Wareham woman in partnership with local businesses. 

Mary Masterson has ordered 168 yard signs congratulating Wareham students in the class of 2020 at Wareham High School, Upper Cape Cod Technical High School, Old Rochester Regional, Bishop Stang, and The Peddie School, a prep school in New Jersey.

The signs have the individual student’s name written on them, are designed in the student’s school colors, and have their school logo on display. 

Masterson said that the signs are being made by Staples, and should be on display in early June. 

She said that she saw a similar project being done in another town, and took to the “Wareham Matters” Facebook group to gauge interest in town. 

While she is not the parent of a graduating senior, her son is a freshman at Upper Cape Cod Technical School, and she said she knows many of the seniors in Wareham. 

“The seniors are great kids, and they deserve something to make them smile,” she said.

After hearing positive feedback from seniors and their families, she reached out to school and town officials to turn her idea into a reality.

She added that the Wareham Lowe’s Home Improvement paid the full cost to order the signs, which totaled $1,539. 

The store’s manager Christopher Mullins said that every Lowe’s store has been given a budget, specifically for donations during the pandemic. Previously, the Wareham store donated floral baskets to residents at Wareham Healthcare for Mother’s Day.

Masterson said that she hopes to have the signs on display outside of the Town Hall on the first week of June, hopefully on or before the original date of the seniors’ graduation. 

She added that students will be able to take their signs home, or hang them in their college dorms if they so choose.