Silver Knights are extraordinary. The ceremony honoring them was anything but ordinary.

There’s nothing ordinary about the young men and women nominated for the prestigious Silver Knight Awards, and neither was this year’s ceremony.

The coronavirus pandemic disrupted many events honoring the Class of 2020, and this year’s 62nd annual ceremony honoring hundreds of outstanding high school seniors in Miami-Dade and Broward counties was no exception. The over-the-top ceremony traditionally held at the John S. and James L. Knight Center was synthesized into a 500-square-foot video studio at the Miami Herald’s Doral newsroom. A production company worked for three days to replicate the experience.

Thursday night’s big to-do was one of the more unique ceremonies held since the award was created in 1959 by the former Miami Herald Publisher John S. Knight, and is hosted annually by the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.

Though a physical audience wasn’t present, there was a live, virtual one: 700 nominees from 103 public, private and charter schools in Miami-Dade and Broward counties were gathered live via four Zoom video conferences. The nominees for each of the 15 categories, ranging from art to world languages, waited in virtual tiles for their name to be called. They waved to the camera, giddy with anticipation.

The 30 winners, one in each category from each county, couldn’t walk across the stage to accept their statuette. But just like past years, their reactions were broadcast live.

Being at home added a personal touch to the celebration. Family and friends jumped into frame. Some cried, covered their mouths in disbelief and clutched rosaries.

Andrea Peña is used to performing in front of a large crowd. After 17 of her classmates and school staff members were gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb. 14, 2018, she co-wrote the song “Shine.” It became an anthem for the March For Our Lives rally in Washington and drew raves from Paul McCartney, Britney Spears and Justin Bieber.

When announced as the Broward winner in Music & Dance, Peña waved on screen, not yet realizing she was the winner because of a delay. And then it sunk in: A bright moment during her high school career, disrupted by tragedy.

“It’s obviously really upsetting that another kind of darkness is coming into our lives,” she said, referring to the pandemic. “I think it’s important for people to hold on to what they love. Everything I do is for my school and the 17 we lost.”

Lukas Guerra realized immediately that he won in the category of Digital & Interactive Media for Miami-Dade. The announcer was still talking about how his documentary helped raise $50,000 for the American Cancer Society when his fellow Silver Knight nominees from Christopher Columbus High School came into the frame, jumping on him.

“It felt great,” said Guerra. “In this crazy time with prom, grad bash and all this stuff being canceled and the Silver Knight virtual ceremony, to win that, it was the best feeling. It was a good wrap-up of my senior year.”

Joseph Mullen was having trouble watching the livestream. When the connection sorted out, he heard the announcer talking about South Africa. His mother grew up there during apartheid, which inspired Mullen to stomp out rising instances of hate and bullying.

The Cypress Bay High School student is in the process of lobbying the Broward County School Board to incorporate lessons on apartheid into the schools’ curriculum.

“This pandemic distracted us from the racism and injustice in this country,” said Mullen, the Broward winner in the category of Social Sciences, referring to the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. “We have grown up and witnessed the injustices in this nation. My generation is going to be the one that actually does something about this.”

T.jermaine Adams traded in his track pants and hoodie for his best suit and listened to his story being read aloud. The Carol City High School senior created the Hear Me Out club to give students a platform to speak up about personal issues as well as learn to work together.

Adams held a fist up to a grinning, wide smile and clapped in celebration. He was watching the ceremony on his iPhone.

“It felt good. It felt like something that I put into the world is now getting recognition,“ said Adams, the Miami-Dade winner of the Speech category. He said he asked his parents to take him to a fancy restaurant to celebrate.

“I’m going to bring a fancy mask and we’re going to eat,” he said.

Gabriela Garity has been feeding the homeless in her community since fourth grade. Gabriela’s Casserole Project has donated over 20,000 meals to the Missionaries of Charity soup kitchen in downtown Miami.

The third winner from Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Coconut Grove — and the last winner of the night — Garity leaped out of her chair. Her parents burst into her bedroom, hugging and kissing her from both sides.

“I haven’t even heard what they said about me. I was so busy reacting with my parents,” said Garity, the winner of the World Languages category in Miami-Dade. “I feel amazing. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have won this award.”

Thursday night’s ceremony had familiar features: Two larger-than-life Silver Knight statues, decorative metal trusses and an LED-lit Silver Knight sign. And there were familiar presenters, doing their thing live: The Herald’s Caribbean correspondent, Jacqueline Charles, herself an honorable mention recipient in 1990; McClatchy’s Vice President of News, Kristin Roberts; and Aminda Marqués González, executive editor, president and publisher of the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.

“As schools remain virtual and most jobs remote while South Florida is slowly but surely opening back up, we must commend our seniors for their perseverance and resilience as they have faced a global pandemic that has all but stopped their final days as high schoolers and continue to make strides after graduation in the coming days,” Marqués González said as she kicked off the ceremony. “We are here tonight to celebrate your valiant efforts long before we ever knew we’d be on lockdown.”

A new format allowed for new additions to the ceremony. The pre-show featured words of wisdom, encouragement and congratulations for the nominees from their own principals and awards coordinators. Instead of a live performance from a school band or orchestra, there was a montage of all nominees for the music & dance categories performing “Over the Rainbow,” either through instruments, voices or dance routines.

Beyond the nominees, friends and family tuned into the ceremony livestreamed via the Miami Herald’s Facebook and YouTube channels. Guest speakers were also featured in short video clips.

The Herald hopes to host a drive-by parade soon for the winners to pick up what they deserve: a $2,000 scholarship, an AAdvantage 25,000-mile travel certificate and an American Airlines medallion. Honorable mentions, three in each category per county, will receive a $500 scholarship and an engraved plaque.

This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 10:36 PM.