With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, the Rainbow District School Board said it has already asked its schools to plan virtual Grade 8 and 12 graduation ceremonies for the class of 2021.
Speaking at the Feb. 16 Rainbow board meeting, director of education Norm Blaseg said that last year, the board held out hope it would be able to hold in-person grads, but ended up holding virtual ceremonies for the class of 2020 last fall.
“This year we are accepting the reality a little earlier and not postponing the inevitable,” he said, adding that awards will also be presented virtually.
“These are not the graduations we had hoped for. However, our schools are very creative, and I know they will ensure their students are appropriately recognized and honoured among family and friends like they were last fall.”
He said many of the virtual graduation ceremonies are still available to view on schools’ websites “which is certainly one of the benefits of the virtual event.”
