The 2020-2021 school year has been a year like no other, as kids learned to cope during a pandemic that saw their parents and teachers struggling.
Classrooms closed, social activities shut down, remote learning, Zoom classes and spotty internet connections, and constant reminders to wear masks and social distance – it was a challenge that at times seemed overwhelming.
And for a second year in a row, graduating students were deprived of a traditional graduation ceremony. Not for them the crowded auditorium, being called up on stage in cap and gown to receive their diploma and awards, posing for photos afterward with friends, and heading to a grad party to celebrate.
They have had to find a different way to mark the occasion. They have had to celebrate COVID-style.
At Nantyr Shores Secondary School, the solution was a graduation parade. On Tuesday, grads and their families arrived in vehicles decorated with balloons and signs, to be part of a parade that would loop through Alcona, from the parking lot of the high school up Jans Boulevard to Innisfil Beach Road, from there to St. John’s Road and then to the 7th Line, before returning to the school.
Seventy-five vehicles, from classic cars to SUVs and pick-up trucks, participated in the parade, some carrying more than one graduating student. And although the skies were threatening, the rain held off.
Staff and undergrads stood in front of the school with signs, banners, and noisemakers to cheer on smiling students as they drove past. The parade was met with cheers, waves, and honking horns, as it drove through town.
“It’s a tribute to the staff and families and students, who pulled through this,” said Liselle Prickett, principal at Nantyr Shores.
“Congratulations, grads of 2021. You are going to have something to talk about to your grandchildren,” said Mayor Lynn Dollin, paying tribute to students and teachers who persevered despite the pandemic.
There are 277 students part of the 2021 graduating class at Nantyr Shores.
“Thanks to all of you for all of your work this year, and wishing you nothing but the best!” said the mayor. “If you can graduate in a pandemic, you can do anything!”
The parade ended back at Nantyr, where each of the graduating students received a box of “Grad Cupcakes,” hand-decorated by hospitality teacher Sarah Prentice and her “crew.”
They did not receive their diplomas. Those haven’t been printed yet, as COVID continues to impact the Class of '21.
