Graduates Zoom ahead

As in other parts of the world, life has not been easy for young students this year. In early March students in Schreiber were informed that they schools would be shutting down for a short period while the government assessed the impact of COVID 19 and how best to deal with  reducing spread and implementing safety measures. Never in recent memory have students had such a huge interruption in their studies. As it turned out, they would never return to classes this year. Plans were put into effect to enable students to continue their education without the formal classroom participation they had always been accustomed to. High schools in particular were forced to find new ways for students to complete their school year or risk the chance of repeating the year. The high schools in Schreiber and Terrace Bay had been amalgamated years before as the population of the area started to decline.

The students persisted and continued their studies, often under lockdown and with the distractions of having an entire family at home at the same time. Of course this meant that graduation would take on a whole new tone. It was decided that the traditional graduation ceremonies would take place via the zoom platform but there would be a twist of course. There would be a virtual ceremony followed by a gift giving and a drive by parade in both Terrace Bay and Schreiber. Kim Krause from Schreiber Media Centre approached principal Chris Martin to cover the post graduation events. Throughout the zoom ceremony various awards and bursaries were given out in recognition of the students achievements. Principal Martin congratulated and encouraged the students and recognized the difficulties faced by them during this strenuous period. Once the virtual portion of the ceremony was completed, all the students met up in the high school grounds to organize the next portion part of the day.

Starting in Terrace Bay the students were chauffeured through the town in a parade headed up by the fire department and finishing with an official police escort pulling up the rear. They arrived one at a time at Principal Martins driveway and were handed gifts and congratulations for their achievements, taking time to pose for photos by the parents. They continued on to Schreiber and put on a spectacle as they drove through the town. The parade concluded with a quick trip down to Schreiber Beach, in recognition of a tradition among graduates of Schreiber High School. All the graduates deserve a big round of applause for pushing on during these difficult times and embracing the new world they are stepping into.