Charlottetown Rural hosting 2 days of rotating graduations

One half of Charlottetown Rural High School's class of 2020 had their graduation ceremonies Monday and the other half will celebrate Tuesday.

This is the first time in the school's history that separate groups of graduating students are being honoured by staff and family in a rotation-style ceremony.

The changes have all been made to allow for ceremonies that still adhere to the Chief Public Health Office (CPHO) guidelines around physical distancing and gathering limits.

"It's really incredible what they put together for us 2020 graduates with the pandemic going on," said Jose Crisostomo, whose ceremony was Monday.

"It made me feel special." 

'Glad it turned out this way'

Crisostomo said he did not know what to expect for his graduation when the pandemic hit. 

"I'm glad it turned out this way," Crisostomo said. 

Principal Dale McIsaac said he didn't get approval from the CPHO when he originally pitched a graduation concept.

"We had a Plan A, covering the guidelines from the Chief Public Health Office and we anticipated we'd be able to have a larger group, but things happen in the Maritimes and set that back a little bit," McIsaac said. 

McIsaac and staff decided the best way forward was splitting the ceremonies into two days.

The graduation ceremony takes place at the top of each hour. About 18 students are honoured with their diploma and appropriate certificates in every ceremony. 

Four areas within the school have been designated and each venue contains four zones with a separate entrance. When students enter with their guests, the guests find their seats in their designated zones while the student gets ready in their gown and cap.

Each students is allowed to bring two guests. 

"Everybody in the school community contributed to what's happening," said McIsaac. 

Not like other years 

McIsaac said there have been about a dozen people who said they are disappointed with the limited number of family members allowed to attend the ceremony.

Stephen Fleming, Jose Crisostomo's father, said he was "skeptical" about the number of guests allowed to attend the ceremony at first.

"We're judging it by what we had. This is what they have," Fleming said. 

After seeing his son Jose graduate, his skepticism turned to joy. 

"It feels like a ceremony. It feels like a graduation. Despite the small number so that, I think, I think it turned out really well," said Fleming. 

The other half of the school's 2020 graduating class will have their ceremonies tomorrow. McIsaac said staff are aiming to organize larger celebrations for the 2020 class as soon as public health restrictions allow them to. 

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