ST. PAUL - May and June is grad season in the Lakeland region and this year local schools, parents and grads have had to find new ways to celebrate one of life’s most memorable milestones. In St. Paul, one of those ways has been to fly banners from light standards throughout the community recognizing the Grade 12 grads by name.
"With our 2020 convocation ceremony being postponed, the Regional High School staff wanted to find a special way to honour our graduates over the summer months,” Angela Noel, St. Paul Regional High School vice principal, said.
The idea came from some parents who approached the school with the banner concept.
"We decided this was an excellent project that we wanted to support," she said and an invitation to École du Sommet and the St. Paul Alternative Education Centre were also invited to participate with each school designing their own banners.
"We have had very positive responses from students, parents, and community members and are thankful to the Town of St. Paul for helping to support this project by providing both the space and the labour to install them."
École du Sommet principal Alain Mahé said the school welcomed the opportunity to team up with the others in the community and have their banners flying in celebration of their six Grade 12 students.
The school is also planning a small outside ceremony on June 19 with the possibility of staging something at a later date when bigger groups are permitted.
“We are trying to see how much of a group we can get because so far the limit is 50. We are following all of the guidelines,” Mahé said, adding the provincial government has supplied a list of guidelines specific to graduations in light of COVID-19.
The students will receive their diplomas in front of the school and their families will be in the parking lot. Mahé said the idea is to have some visibility from the road. The tradition of planting a tree on the property to honour each year’s grad class will also take place.
“It’s going to be interesting and different, however, I think the grads are excited to get recognized and they are happy to have something at least.”
