LORIS, SC (WBTW) – Horry County communities are trying to create as many memories as they can for the class of 2020, who lost out on the final two months of their high school careers due to the coronavirus pandemic.

When thinking of ways to honor Loris High School seniors, some parents wanted to re-create an activity some of them did without permission: a good, old fashioned cruise. While this cruise had to respect the city’s noise ordinance, the seniors were allowed to drive up and down Main Street for three hours Friday night.

Senior Jamania Bennett says she’s excited to study nursing at Horry-Georgetown Technical College, but until then, she and her family are enjoying this cruise night at the end of an unexpected year.

“My senior year, it has been a year,” Bennett laughed. “I’ve been through struggles and tough times with work and all that, but I got through it.”

On the South Strand, St. James High School seniors couldn’t do a normal tradition of visiting their old elementary schools. Instead, they drove around the football stadium, decorated their cars for their elementary schools and waved to their former teachers.

They also got to drive on the track two weeks ago when Horry County Schools celebrated #BeTheLight night.

“It’s like everyone from the community can come and join us and actually celebrate what graduation means to us,” said a senior named Taylor.

Back in Loris, sophomore Kaitlyn Courtney, who’s also Miss Loris Bog-Off Festival Teen, helped put the cruise together. She sold ribbons for businesses to put on light poles to pay for signs with each senior’s name and beads to hand out.

She says it was all to honor her fellow Lions.

“I’m actually close with most of the seniors and I know they’re upset that they couldn’t do the things that normal seniors would be doing at this time, so it just makes it a lot better to be able to come through here and be able to see their faces again,” Courtney said.

Here’s a complete list of how all school districts in our area are celebrating graduation, with links containing information about each ceremony:

The Loris Chamber of Commerce is also going to do an event like this cruise on Saturday just up South Carolina Highway 9 for Green Sea Floyds High School.