Carlton's class of 2019 heads towards their seats at the Art Hauser Centre last year. (Michael Joel-Hansen/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

Class of 2020

Local high schools still trying to make graduation special

Jun 15, 2020 | 8:00 AM

Prince Albert’s two biggest high schools are ready to recognize their 2020 graduates.

Ecole St Mary High School is set to have nearly 200 students graduate this year. Principal Mark Phaneuf said people are disappointed about not being able to have regular ceremonies.

“There’s some disappointment their child can’t have the graduation that they had hoped for, but there’s just as much understanding that we have to do what we have to do to keep people safe,” he said.

For this year’s ceremonies St. Mary will be streaming online. However, students still will have the chance to cross the stage and collect their diplomas from the principal. The school’s lecture theatre has been set up and individual students will be recorded as they collect their diploma while wearing their gowns.

Phaneuf explained when it is all put together to be streamed online it will not look much different than a normal ceremony.

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“When they watch the actual virtual graduation, it’ll flow very much like the regular graduation does,” he explained.

On Thursday the provincial government announced outdoor ceremonies would be allowed if they were capped at 30 students per class with no more than 150 people in total attending. Phaneuf said this would not have worked for them given the overall size of the class. He added the province also said doing things virtually was the safest way.

“The recommended and safest way to have graduation is through a virtual graduation; it was the first point,” he said.

Not being able to do regular celebrations has had an effect on staff. Phaneuf said it is difficult for everyone involved and added graduation time is one of the happiest days of the year. The school has tried to make things special by doing things like allowing students to keep the gowns.

“We’re trying to do things that will continue to make the day special, just in a different way,” he said.

Carlton goes with virtual ceremonies to celebrate over 300 students

Carlton Comprehensive Public High School has also seen ceremonies move online. Lisa Davis, who is on the planning committee said it was decided going online would be the best way to go after much discussion.

“We kept brainstorming, brainstorming, brainstorming, getting ideas from others as well and seeing what other communities were doing as well,” she said.

Along with doing online ceremonies students have been coming to the school to get their diplomas and pictures taken. Davis added the school worked hard to make sure the diplomas were ready for them.

Davis said they have also made it so graduates can submit materials which can be part of the virtual celebrations when they are broadcast.

The committee has also made graduate signs available which people can put up in their yards.

“People were really excited about that, so that was a really good way to start the ball rolling,” said Davis.

While people have been understanding of not being able to have regular celebrations, Davis said it is still hard to not be able to mark the occasion as normal.

“They’ve worked hard all of these years and so to have that ceremony and that specialness taken away has been really hard for people,” she said.

Carlton is set to have over 300 students graduate this year. Davis said given the size of the graduating class doing festivities online was the only way for them to include everyone.

“The numbers really don’t fit us still, just because we are such a large school and graduating body,” she said.

MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn