History in the Making: Board hosts first ever virtual Grade 8 graduation ceremonies

June 24, 2020

This week normally marks one of the most exciting times in our elementary schools, as students, staff and families pack into gymnasiums to celebrate Grade 8 graduates.

One of the most disappointing aspects of this time of school closures is that these ceremonies, which offer a sense of closure and help launch our Grade 8s into the new chapters of their lives, could not take place in person.

As has been the case through much of this time of distance learning, however, our 30 elementary schools have stepped up to find extraordinarily creative ways to celebrate their graduates.

Each one of our elementary schools has worked hard over the past several weeks to create a virtual graduation ceremony for the school community. These events began Thursday evening and wrap up in the days to follow.

From recorded singalongs, and read-alongs, to inspirational principal, teacher and student addresses, input from parish priests, trustees and valedictorians, picture and video slideshows, inspiring quotes and more, these virtual ceremonies have packed an emotional punch and offered families a means to celebrate as a community, albeit virtually, in real time.

Thank you to all the school principals and staff who worked tirelessly over the past weeks to make the best of these virtual ceremonies! And our schools couldn’t have done it without the support of Computer Services and our IT Support Staff who offered expertise, test runs and around the clock support to help make these events happen.

Photo Caption: St. Alphonsus CES principal Wayne Clark makes Board history as he live-streams the first ever virtual Grade 8 graduation for his school community from the Catholic Education Centre on Thursday, June 18.