The 2021 grad class from Lac La Biche's J.A. Williams High School rolled out of their Saturday afternoon convocation ceremony and then rolled down Beaverhill Road catching some breeze in a vehicle parade under a blazing sun and 30-degree temperatures to mark the end of their grade school years.
At the June 26 Bold Center ceremony, the COVID-restricted event forced reductions on attendance and reductions on run-time. The 90-minute event, featuring speeches only from the class valedictorian, the school's principal and the honourary graduate, played to a crowd of less than 250 invited friends and family. Other pandemic measures, halted the customary 'cap toss' at the end of the ceremony, congratulatory handshakes from teachers and administrators, the indoor class photo, and the grad dinner.
But those kinds of challenges and changes have only helped to make the grad class of 2021 stronger, said Chenoa Kaufman in her valedictorian address.
"We have learned how to be great students, even better friends, and best of all, how to excel in the face of adversity. This year was one for the books, but look at us now, We are here. We've made it," she said, thanking family and community support and staff from all grade levels of schooling. "It is no secret that this class is going to go far. We have survived so much ... I am graduating among some of the brightest, strongest people I know. We have all taught each other so much."
A beautiful but terrifying experience
— honourary graduate Andrew Booth
Those accomplishments will help the graduates continue on their life journey, says this year's honourary graduate. Teacher Andrew Booth told the graduates to continue to strive for their next accomplishments.
"You get what you give ... no matter where you go in life, no matter what you are doing, this rings true — what you put into is, is what you get out of it," he told the grad class, reminding them that the next steps in their lives can be a "beautiful but terrifying experience" — but to look back and remember the support and encouragement they have received from their schooling and families to get them to this milestone. "When you feel lost, remember this place, remember this moment, remember the energy in this room, channeling to you to do good for your local community and good for yourself."
In his address to the students, J.A. Williams High School Principal Samear Abougouche said this year's grad class will be known for their resilience. Through online learning, restricted class events, mask-use, social distancing, sanitizing, cohorts, reduced intra-mural activities ... and more, this class has become stronger, said Abougouche.
"Forever people will recognize the Class of 2021 as a special group of students who faced a great challenge. May these unique circumstances give you resilience and inspire you to make the world a better place as we hopefully move back to some normalcy this summer and beyond," he told them and the ceremony audience. "The end result of our coming together, keeping together and working together, in spite of the obstacles that we may have faced along the way... that end result is this amazing group of young adults that sit here before us."
Following the ceremony, students were cheered and greeted by hundreds of community members who lined Beaverhill Road as the Class of 2021 parade rolled by. The parade of vehicles, most decorated with graduation well-wishes, balloons and streamers, was first introduced last year when the first summer of the coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of classrooms and the cancellations of public events. Students, parents, school staff and community members see the parade as something that will likely become a regular part of the convocation events.
