Distanced education
Appointment only graduations in place due to COVID-19
SYDNEY — Brianna Jackson was all smiles waiting outside of Sydney Academy to go in with her four guests for her private graduation ceremony.
The 18-year-old from Sydney was once again all smiles when her turn to walk across the stage was finished 15-minutes later — proud she is now a graduate and happy with the shortened diploma ceremony.
“I was shocked. I thought it was going to be a lot less than what took place,” said the Sydney resident who is taking next year off before deciding on career plans.
“I thought it was going to be a lot faster than it was. You actually had time to take pictures and do some stuff with your family… I would have rathered this (shorter graduation ceremony than the traditional ones). I just wish I could have had my prom.”
Her parents, Shirley and Charles, also liked the short and sweet diploma service, which was adapted due to COVID-19 public health protection orders.
“It was actually really nice we didn’t have to sit for two hours through all these speeches, sweating,” Charles said, camera in hand, ready to snap another picture of his daughter.
“It was just beautiful in there,” added Shirley. “The atmosphere, the way they had the stage set-up, the way they had (the graduate’s) names on a big video screen so you could take a picture of them. It was just beautiful.”
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Nova Scotia, high schools across Cape Breton and the province had to cancel proms and graduation ceremonies.
Parent groups have been organizing drive-in grand marches in lieu of proms and schools are holding diploma ceremonies by appointment only.
Each student was given a time where they could walk the stage to get their diploma, without classmates watching. Four guests were allowed to watch each grad, as per public health restrictions on public gatherings that were in place earlier this month when schools made plans for the adapted graduation ceremonies.
Graduates were able to pose for a photo on the stage, then a photo on a video screen with their name on it. Outside was the last area to take a photo, in front of a blown-up photograph of the whole class of 2020 — the closest the graduates got to seeing all of their classmates on graduation day.
Stephen Hines, 18, said the graduation ceremony was a “surreal” experience, due to the fact he had finally finished school and not the adapted graduation format.
“I didn't think I'd get to have a graduation with everything that's been going on. I was glad to see some of my friends today. And I'm really proud of myself for graduating after working so hard for 13 years,” said Hines who plans to join the military.
For him, having the graduation ceremony was better than having nothing at all.
“It didn't really bother me that much. At least we got to have a graduation,” he said.
“I think that Sydney Academy did a great job setting something up for us. The gym looked great and the staff worked really hard to do this for us.”
Brianna's uncle Ernie Lusk was one of her guests and he called the ceremony 'perfect.'
“I mean what else could you do? It's the world we live in right now and the kids deserve to have something done for them,” he said, then added with a laugh. “We were all there, even if we didn't all deserve it.”
Sydney Academy teacher Carmie Zahara was stationed at the doors graduates left after their ceremony. She said she didn't hear many complaints from students, just excitement.
“A lot of the students were relieved,” she said. “The students that were here in the morning were coming out shouting, “Whoo-hoo! It's only 9:15 a.m. and I'm already done.”
Videos from the private graduation ceremonies are being edited for a virtual graduation ceremony being held next week and broadcast on the Sydney Academy website. The school is also allowing students to keep their hat and gowns this year, instead of having to return them.
Like other high schools in the Cape Breton Regional-Victoria Centre for Education, Sydney Academy is holding a drive-in grand march on June 27 in Membertou, which is being organized by parents.