"It would be robbery to send these students off without showing them a little bit of love," said Derek Koons Sr, one of several parents that safely gathered, all wearing masks, to celebrate their high school graduates at the New Hope Baptist Church in Germantown.
And how did they do it?
"We're having a trunk party for several students who ae going away for college," said Koons. "So we are very excited for them. One of them happens to be my son, who happens to be going to the University of the Virgin Islands. We're so proud."
Derek Koons Jr., who plans to study marine biology, said other than just trying to get his head wrapped around finally going to college, he was grateful his neighbors, family and friends came out to support him despite the pandemic, showing just how strong his community truly is.
"It's nice just to see how everybody is supporting me right now," he said. "It shows that whenever we’re down we can find a way to get back up."
The elder Koons said the party isn't just about celebrating his son, but also using their last few months together as a family to teach one more lesson.
"The students nowadays need to know how to love one another, how to love their communities and how to come back and give," he explained. "So we are modeling a behavior we want them to copy when they get older."
"It wasn't what I expected with the COVID-19 and everything, but I'm really excited to be going off to college," she said.