High school seniors preparing for very different graduation

For many, graduation events are meant to be a celebration and a reward for making it through high school, but for grads this year, it might fall a bit flat.

Thanks to COVID-19 restrictions, many students won’t have any banquet, prom or dance, and the ceremonies will look very different to what they were hoping for.

Cade Falconer is a soon-to-graduate senior at Campbell Collegiate in Regina. He’s also the class valedictorian.

He said it was a month or two ago when they were told a graduation ceremony at Mosaic Stadium could be a possibility.

“So we were all pretty pumped about that. We knew the 150 number was still set in place. (The principal) just said, ‘We’re hoping for that.’ It was never promised but it was implied that it was very likely going to happen,” explained Falconer.

But last week the students found out the COVID regulations couldn’t be bent and the stadium plans had to be cancelled.

Falconer said they had all been pretty pumped about having a full ceremony and it was frustrating for it to be cancelled.

“We haven’t seen some of our friends and classmates because of that hybrid system since October or November,” he said. “So it was going to be really exciting to see a bunch of people that we haven’t seen in a while. So having a full graduation would have been a nice way to kick off the end of not a great year.”

The hybrid system for high school meant the students were separated, with one half attending class in person on one day and then switching to the other half of the student body the next. And because of gathering restrictions in place for most of the school year in Regina, Falconer said they couldn’t get together outside of school either.

That, combined with the fact there were no sports or clubs this year, meant Falconer really missed the social aspect of school.

“Only being at school half the week and then going online for all of December and all of January, I miss seeing people and not being able to spend that time with my friends,” said Falconer.

But he explained the Grade 12s are trying to be optimistic and concentrate on the good things that happened this year. He said there wasn’t much that was great, but there was some good.

The students knew at the beginning of the year they wouldn’t have a prom or banquet organized through the school this year, though Falconer said some bought grad dresses and suits anyway. He has had his since last year.

As for the ceremony itself, Falconer explained that because there is such a large graduating class, they’re going to have about 10 different ceremonies.

“We’re literally graduating with like 40 people basically, and it’ll probably not be very long and it’ll just be like, ‘Here’s your certificate and see you later,’ ” said Falconer.

He was working on his valedictorian speech when he got the news there wouldn’t be a stadium ceremony. He said he has rewritten it five times because he doesn’t know how it’ll play. He’ll be able to read it live during his graduation ceremony but for all the others, it will be recorded and played back.

“It’s very tough to (know) how they will react to it because if I crack a joke, I don’t know if they’ll find it funny because it’s not live and I can’t feel the vibe in the room,” said Falconer.

He’s heading to the University of Regina for business in the fall.

“The summer will just be enjoying the warm weather and, hopefully, spending some time with my friends before we all go our separate ways this year,” he said.