SUNDRE — As a result of ensuing uncertainty in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on large public gatherings, the local high school’s graduation ceremony has been delayed.
“We are postponing the graduation ceremony for Sundre High School,” says principal Scott Sanders.
“Due to our current situation in Alberta, we are looking into the possibility of a fall graduation. We take our direction from AHS (Alberta Health Services), and in the foreseeable future, we will not be able to have any large gatherings of people.”
That being said, the decision to delay graduation ceremony will be revisited in the event major changes are announced by AHS during the course of the coming weeks and months, he added.
“We want to recognize our graduating Class of 2020 but we want to ensure no one is put at risk in doing so,” he said.
“This class has missed out on a lot of experiences this year, and when appropriate we want to be able to provide recognition for them completing their high school journey. As it looks right now, I am thinking the fall may be the soonest we could plan this.”
Students have been on the minds of all of the staff as educators work remotely to continue delivering course loads by means of online correspondence, he said.
“But we really miss that connection with the graduating class,” he said.
“There is a different feeling in any high school when spring rolls around and graduating students start to talk about their next steps in life and what their future plans may be. This group can do that through social media, but will miss that personal connection to the school. We have built relationships with this class for the last four years, and we take pride in celebrating them, even if that will look a little different this year.”
• COVID-19 UPDATE: Follow our COVID-19 special section and interactive map for the latest local and national news on the coronavirus pandemic, as well as resources, FAQs and more.
