I remember the polyester sauna well. Incubating under the stage lights of some Surrey theatre, nearly 400 of us sat for several hours, staring either at the mortarboard in front of us or into the whitewashed void where friends and family presumably filled the theatre, stifling yawns as the hours dragged on.
In fact, I think that the enthusiasm that propelled our mortarboards into the rafters in that ever-classic hat-toss moment may well have just been a result of the built up heat we’d collectively accumulated under our heavy, non-breathable robes. And yet, despite the stickiness and the assembly-linyness of the whole ordeal, I look back on my high school convocation with fondness. My friends and I were just so happy – we didn’t really realize that there’d be responsibilities to follow. In that moment, we’d accomplished a monumental task in our lives.
I sincerely hope this year’s graduates from Walker Development Centre, Grand Forks Secondary and Boundary Central Secondary recognize the same and appreciate howe well they navigated the unforeseeable tripping hazard thrown their way just as they rounded the final corner of their high school race.
I took a single online course when I was in high school: Planning 10, in which I learned I’m not too sure what. It took me a year and a half to finish – the maximum length of time allowed. I found it so difficult to motivate myself to do the work without my teachers or my peers around. And yet, to an extent, this year’s graduates were forced into a similar position because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only was in-school learning severely limited this spring, but so too were those vital opportunities to socialize with friends, bounce ideas off one another, or just complain about homework over coffee. And yet, so many bright minds – determined minds – got hold of their diplomas this week.
Their ceremonies certainly weren’t as expected. In fact, I have a suspicion that no parent of a 2020 GFSS graduate would have expected to drive alongside their child as they crossed the staged, had you asked them that question in September.
When I graduated, I had no clue what my future world would look like. I certainly didn’t imagine pandemics. (Swine flu was the biggest concern when I was in Grade 9 and 10, but I still got to go to school and I distinctly remember some older kids dressing up as pigs with medical masks on for Halloween). I also didn’t know that a Tweet could get you hired or fired for a job (unless you’re in a high position of power in America, apparently). I didn’t know that I’d never deploy my knowledge of the Japanese feudal system again, or that I’d ought to have learned loads more about important things residential schools and treaties, and more basic things like how to start a Zoom meeting. But I’m learning now. District superintendent Ken Minette emphasized that point at the Walker ceremony, when he told the grads that he wished for them to be life-long learners.
I want to professionally thank the graduates of GFSS who have contributed photos and stories as part of the Howl section of the newspaper, and to congratulate everyone who got their hands on a well-earned diploma this week for learning on the fly and adapting to their new world.
