'The best of a tough situation': How Tommy Douglas Collegiate held graduation safely for families
As schools around the city look for ways to host graduation while adhering to provincial restrictions, Tommy Douglas Collegiate was able to hold its graduation outside of the school, allowing families to attend.
The event, which was held Wednesday morning, had groups of students come up in time slots, giving opportunities for family members to watch and take pictures all while keeping the number of people present low.
“It’s very intimate, families get to come up and be close, a lot closer than in a bigger auditorium of graduations in the past,” principal Dave Fisher said.
“I love that it’s at the school, which means so much to the students, families, and staff. It’s the best of a tough situation.”
He said the past two years have been tough with the pandemic, but his students have adapted well, giving him all the more reason to want to give them as best of a send-off as he could.
“We really wanted to make sure that we had an opportunity to get them here and celebrate this outstanding achievement of theirs. It is a right of passage and we’re so glad we can be part of it and celebrate with them and make it as best we can,” he said.
Erika and Avery Stronski are twin sisters who graduated with honours, with Erika named class valedictorian.
They said despite the changes to the regular way graduation has been hosted, there was still lots of excitement in the weeks leading up to the event.
“It’s crazy, it feels surreal to finally be here after four years,” Avery told CTV News.
“There’s been a lot of excitement leading up to it. We’re just glad we could actually be here as opposed to a zoom meeting,” Erika said.
As the twins walked across the stage and received their diplomas, they said getting to have the most important people to them in attendance was a big deal.
“It made it a lot better, knowing that everyone we cared about in our lives was going to be here, which was really nice for quite a special occasion,” Erika said.
Erika and Avery said that adjusting to the pandemic and all the changes that came to their high school experience was tough, but according to their mom, they have taken it all in stride and it may help them in the long run.
“It wasn’t the same, and I don’t say it was necessarily worse, I think it was a little bit better. I think it better prepared them for university. They were able to get used to self-disciplined learning,” Andrea Stronski said.
As her daughters were handed their diplomas, Andrea said she was happy to be there in person to cheer them on.
“We’re pretty proud of them and very honoured to be a part of the celebration. Very glad that we didn’t have to watch it over a camera,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.