Laurel to Rowan-Salisbury Schools and, more specifically, the district’s high schools for planning virtual celebrations for seniors on May 22 while sticking to their in-person graduation promise.

Crowd size limits still in place mean the district cannot reasonably have graduation ceremonies on the originally scheduled day, and it’s difficult to impossible to ensure seniors receive the celebration they deserve by holding a ceremony with social distancing rules in place. In Cabarrus County, students will be able to gather over a two-day period at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

But rules in Cabarrus County are more like a drive-in movie than a graduation, and there’s only one car allowed per graduate. A.L. Brown High School has a good idea that mixes a prerecorded ceremony and an in-person stage with photo opportunities. Students will be given green masks to wear inside of the building after being screened.

Depending on the progression of COVID-19, Rowan-Salisbury may end up selecting a solution similar to one of those two items, but it should stick to its in-person promise for now and plan to make it as close to normal as possible while also protecting the health of students and their family members.

Dart to the idea that protesters should gather in steadily increasing numbers in Raleigh to encourage Gov. Roy Cooper to open up the state faster.

Sen. Carl Ford made the suggestion last week in an interview posted online with the group Reopen NC, saying that 10,000 to 20,000 people would “really get the message across.” While reasonable people can argue that the state should more seriously consider allowing currently closed businesses to reopen, it’s irresponsible to encourage thousands to gather at a time when COVID-19 is still spreading. There’s still to much unknown about the virus.

People have the right to peaceably assemble, but those intent on getting their point across to state legislators and other officials can also do so through letter writing, phone calls, emails and social media. Our elected officials should not be encouraging people to do exactly what public health officials across the globe have advised against.

Laurel to the hard work of the Rowan County Economic Development Commission, Convention and Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce in responding to the economic crisis the community is experiencing.

The organizations are, among other things, measuring how local businesses are affected by shutdowns and providing resources to local businesses. Those are essential tasks right now, and Rowan County is lucky to have people as committed to the community as those who work for the three agencies.