Brother Rice principal delivers signs to graduating students

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. – High school seniors went to class one day in March not knowing that it would be their last day of school, that there would be no prom and no graduation ceremony.

The principal at Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills is personally doing something for each senior to make sure they know his students aren’t forgotten.

It may not be the graduation that these students envisioned, but Ed Okenewski is trekking through the snow to hand deliver graduation signs.

“I wasn’t sure what he was here for,” said Brother Rice senior Ray Margherio. “Maybe he was here to talk to me for some reason.”

“I was out on a walk when I saw Eddie in the street,” said his mother, Jennifer Margherio. “And then I saw the sign first and I thought, I almost started crying.”

Okuniewski visited more than 130 homes over Metro Detroit to make sure his students feel special.

“Hopefully I’m bringing some light to their day,” Okuniewski said. “But they’re certainly bringing light into my day too.”

It may just be a sign to one person, but to the seniors at Brother Rice High School, it’s a teaching moment from their principal who they will no longer get to see on a regular basis -- showing them he cares and the class of 2020 is not forgotten.


About the Authors:

You can watch Kim on the morning newscast weekdays from 4:30 to 7 a.m., and frequently doing reports on the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts.

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.