'I will never forget it': More Calgary students get drive-thru grad
CBC News | Posted: June 17, 2020 11:38 PM | Last Updated: June 17, 2020
Central Memorial High School had its ceremony at the Stampede grounds
Students from another Calgary high school got their COVID-compliant graduation this week in drive-thru format.
Students from Central Memorial High School had their grad at the Stampede grounds on Tuesday, joining students across the country in celebrating in unique ways.
"I will never forget it," Peyton Lake told CBC News from the backseat of her parents' car.
"It has brought us together when we technically can't be together. This is a great way to just see everybody for the last time before moving on to different things."
Another 2020 grad, Lindsey Kelly, says this graduation will be talked about for years.
"I think this will go down in the history books, for sure. Other classes in the future will be learning about what we went through, which is really cool," she said.
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A parent ambassador for the grad says this was months in the planning.
"We had a late night phone call back in March, thinking 'What is this new normal going to look like, and how are these grads going to graduate this year? Let's figure it out,'" Lynn Fletcher said.
"And we are here today."
Fletcher says grad is an important milestone.
"It is something they look forward to their whole lives. It is the boundary between childhood and adulthood, and without it, something is missing."
For graduate Ben Heathcote, the event was a mixed blessing.
"It is good to get closure, to finally put an end to the three monotonous years of high school," Heathcote said.
"And it's good to still be surrounded by the people you spent those three years with."