A graduation that the class of 2021 at Fort Frances won’t forget.
An outdoor ceremony was held on the school’s football field.
Screen grab courtesy MJ Interactive
As students crossed the stage wearing masks and bumping elbows with teachers and administration while their parents watched in their vehicles and honked horns in appreciation of their children’s achievements.
Others watched online with the proceedings broadcast live.
The event was only permitted after Premier Doug Ford gave the go-ahead earlier this month for outdoor graduation ceremonies.
Fort Frannces High School Principal Jennifer Leishman. Screen grab courtesy MJ Interactive
Principal Jennifer Leishman was thankful to those involved in putting together one of life’s important milestones.
“I cannot express how thankful we are, as an administration, for this team at Fort Frances High School. The endless hours of planning and organizing is the only way that this could happen tonight, said Leishman.
Leishman also remarked how students persevered having to follow public health measures to start school in class, only to see that moved online learning in January and again in April to finish off the year.
“You will be a group that will never be forgotten and not because of COVID-19. But because of who you are as individual people, how you represented yourself challenging times and because of your positive attitude that you chose to have,” said Leishman.
Fort Frances High School Valedictorian Ray Calder. Screen grab courtesy MJ Interactive.
Valedictorian Ray Calder noted Grade 9 and 10 were their only normal high school years.
“To put it plainly, losing the last year and a half of high school sucks However, our perseverance and resilience throughout this pandemic will set us up to face many of life’s challenges, and the future does look promising.,” stated Calder in his address to his classmates.
The school also remembered two students who died over the past year and the gravesites of 215 children in BC.
Three trees were placed on the stage in their memory.
