Virginia Beach Schools Partners with Cox Communications to Stream Graduation Ceremonies on the Web
Hampton Roads, VA – For parents serving in the military, deployments can mean sacrificing holidays and celebrations with families. In an effort to keep our servicemen and women connected to their families at home, the school division will once again provide live, streaming video of the 11 traditional high school graduations on vbschools.com. VB Schools Troop Tube is an extension of the school division’s Military Child Initiative and is made possible in partnership with Cox Hampton Roads.
Graduation ceremonies, June 11-15, will stream in real time on the school division Web site allowing military personnel serving around the globe to watch live as their sons and daughters cross the stage to receive their diplomas. In addition, each graduation ceremony will be available for replay until June 30. Currently, Virginia Beach is the only local school division to offer this service.
"For many of our families, deployments and separations are a fact of life," said Superintendent James Merrill. "If we have the technology to help bring students and families closer together, even for one day, we are proud to do it."
New this year is the opportunity for parents and grandparents – unable to attend graduation ceremonies due to military deployment – to send congratulatory messages to their son, daughter, or grandchild via e-mail. Messages, sent to trooptube@vbschools.com, should be no more than 75 words and must be received by midnight, June 15. In addition to the greeting, the sender must provide his/her contact information and duty assignment along with the graduate’s full name and school. Messages will be posted on vbschools.com.
While VB Schools Troop Tube was designed primarily to unite military families, the technology is available to all VBCPS students and their families who have access to the Internet. Friends and relatives who are unable to travel to Virginia Beach for graduation ceremonies can experience this important student achievement online. Last year, family and friends from 33 states, 11 countries, and one Navy ship visited VB Schools Troop Tube and became virtual guests at graduation ceremonies.
“Cox Communications is pleased to partner for a second year with Virginia Beach City Public Schools for VB Schools Troop Tube. We are happy to partner with other school divisions throughout Hampton Roads that meet our business service requirements," said Gary McCollum, Senior Vice President and Region Manager, Cox Hampton Roads. "Cox Communications, the Hampton Roads region’s premiere telecommunications service provider, is proud to donate the lines and connections to transmit the graduations and help bring families together," continued McCollum.
Viewers can access the live streaming video by visiting vbschools.com and selecting the VB Schools Troop Tube link on the home page. Each graduation ceremony is approximately 90 minutes in length. Replays will be available through June 30. A detailed schedule of graduation events can be found at vbschools.com.
About Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a multi-service broadband communications and entertainment company with more than 6.2 million total residential and commercial customers. The third-largest cable television company in the United States, Cox offers an array of advanced digital video, high-speed Internet and telephony services over its own nationwide IP network, as well as integrated wireless services. Cox Business is a full-service, facilities-based provider of communications solutions for commercial customers, providing high-speed Internet, voice and long distance services, as well as data and video transport services for small to large-sized businesses. Cox Media offers national and local cable advertising in traditional spot and new media formats, along with promotional opportunities and production services. Cox Communications wholly owns and operates the Travel Channel. More information about the services of Cox Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com, www.coxbusiness.com, and www.coxmedia.com.
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