Grads honoured at ceremonies like no other during pandemic

Drive-through parades, red carpets, and a whole lot of video streaming made graduation an experience like no other for Grade 12 students this year.

Though the B.C. government has slowly loosened some of its COVID-19 restrictions, 10 local Catholic high schools had to get creative with sending off their grads in the midst of bans on gatherings of more than 50 people, maintaining two-metre distances, and respecting hygiene requirements.

Vancouver College hosted graduation ceremonies for three consecutive days as the boys school tried to keep gatherings below 50 people while giving all 149 grads their moment in the spotlight.

“I know and understand that you never visualized your graduation unfolding in this way,” said assistant principal Daryl Weaver, “but we felt it important to celebrate you, your achievements and character, and your distinctiveness as a class.”

“We also wanted to provide you with at least one more opportunity to return to our campus, a place that will always be your home, and to walk across the stage in person as thousands of VC alumni have done before you.”

Notre Dame Regional Secondary also hosted multiple days of graduation ceremonies to accommodate their students.

Many grads didn’t have to miss their graduation liturgy either. Thanks to a livestream, Vancouver College grads could tune in and watch chaplain Father Juan Lucca celebrate Mass with their intentions June 24 knowing many of their peers were also there in spirit. Little Flower Academy, St. John Brebeuf Regional Secondary, St. Patrick’s Regional Secondary, St. Thomas More Collegiate, and others also invited students and families to watch graduation Masses via livestream.

St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary School made its graduates feel special as staff personally delivered more than 115 congratulatory lawn signs to their homes June 17.

The school also videotaped graduates crossing the stage and receiving diplomas individually, then stitched it all together and set the video to go “live” June 22. Principal John Campbell said the prerecorded ceremony was an anticipated event, as it was the first time many award winners were announced.

In lieu of a dinner and dance, STA grads were invited to the school to be treated by a barbecue lunch cooked by staff. “The burgers didn’t match the prime rib they were to be served by the Pan Pacific, but they were cooked just right,” said Campbell.

At St. Patrick’s, Grade 12 students didn’t have to give up on participating in a grad formal, either. They were invited to dress up and share “virtual” toasts in a Zoom event with their peers, parents, and teachers May 23.

They also heard speeches from their principal, valedictorian, and salutatorian during a grad ceremony June 26.

Meanwhile, grads of Little Flower Academy arrived at their school in a procession of decorated family vehicles June 1. They exited their cars one at a time to walk down a red carpet, pick up diplomas and gift bags, and drive on.

Grads of St. John Brebeuf also got a chance to walk the red carpet at a livestreamed ceremony that had students physically distanced in the parking lot of Central Heights Church and then heading into the church to receive diplomas from family members.

Students at Archbishop Carney Regional Secondary and Holy Cross Regional High also crossed the stage to receive their diplomas while keeping their distance from staff and classmates.

Archbishop Carney creatively helped families keep physical distances by setting up evenly spaced spotlights around the auditorium. Graduates (and any family members attending with them) basked in the glow of their own assigned light while keeping a safe distance from everyone else in the room.

It is still unclear what the next year will hold for students in elementary and high schools. The B.C. Ministry of Education is expected to release details in August and has hinted at the possibility of using a hybrid of online and in-class learning this fall.

Abbot John Braganza, OSB, of Seminary of Christ the King (which runs a seminary and a high school) said several options are being explored, but the ideal is to learn in person.

“One can study, teach, and learn a subject online, but the human person cannot be fully embraced online,” he wrote in The B.C. Catholic.

“One can review a case history of somebody online and analyze the psychological evaluation of a student online, but the smell of the sheep, as Pope Francis would say, is simply unavailable.”

The four students in Grade 12 at Seminary of Christ the King celebrated their graduation and school closing ceremonies June 6, joining in midday prayer, lunch provided by the Benedictine monks, and closing speeches to families, students, and guests. It was the first time many of the seminarians had seen each other face to face since mid-March.

Traditional Learning Academy, a Catholic independent Distributed Learning school, also honoured its eight graduating students with a pair of small ceremonies: a graduation Mass for students and guests and an awards ceremony.