‘I gotta say, its different’: students at Tommy Douglas Collegiate celebrate outdoor grad

Graduates at Tommy Douglas Collegiate were unsure if they would get a grad ceremony.

With traditional ceremonies now unable to continue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school’s grad committee moved forward with an outdoor celebration Thursday afternoon in front of the school. Over 230 grads were able to celebrate, along with their families, in a safe and socially distanced way.

Jay Harvey, the school’s vice-principal says it took a lot to get the ceremony put together.

“This is the most important day of the school year for us,” he said. “Our committee has been working incredibly hard.”

Students were able to hear their names read, have a song play as they received their diplomas, along with their academic achievements they received over their high-school careers.

Students at @StoonPubSchools‘ Tommy Douglas Collegiate are celebrating its grade 12 grads with a socially distanced ceremony this afternoon.

The event is also being live-streamed for those not able to make it out. #yxe #covid19sk @CKOMNews pic.twitter.com/DPnDCYCO6v

— brady lang (@BradyLangSK) June 25, 2020

Student Kelebee Charles didn’t know if he would get his day as a member of the class of 2020.

“To say that its something new would be an understatement. This has never been done before,” he said. “I gotta say, its different.”

Charles’ father, Kelly Anderson, said it’s nice to see everyone back together to mark the graduation.

“The kids were able to see each other, and I think really that’s the biggest thing. That’s the thing that they’re missing from this graduation overall,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Jonathon Garipey was another grad that received his diploma Thursday. He said he was really glad he was able to get the experience.

“It was actually really neat,” he said. “I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen.”

Garipey’s mother, Tammy, says it was an exciting day. She did give credit to the educators that helped students out, even during the last remaining days.

“I really appreciated that the teachers worked right to the end,” she said. “(They) kept in contact (with the students), and supported them to push through and get done.”

She said it was nice to see the smiling faces, and not just the heads and shoulders they’ve become accustomed to on Zoom.

Both Charles and Garipey are now working towards degrees at the University of Saskatchewan.

Charles will be looking for a career in psychology, while Garipey looks to get into education as a physical education teacher.