OLDS — The COVID-19 pandemic overshadowed graduation ceremonies for the École Olds High School (ÉOHS) class of 2020.
Ceremonies were held Aug. 21 in the Community Learning Centre gym. A barbecue and the traditional spray painting of students’ names on the road south of the school occurred on Aug. 20. Ceremonies were postponed to that date instead of spring, due to the pandemic.
Instead of all the grads being in the gym at the same time along with their parents, they were divided up into two groups.
They and their parents circulated during an intermission between the two cohorts.
The grads held a parade afterward.
“If there has ever been a graduation class that deserves to celebrate completing high school, it is this class of 2020,” said principal Tom Christensen, who also served as MC for the occasion.
“No other class in history has been forced into an online setting and congratulations for your abilities to adapt online.”
Christensen noted the class met that challenge and then some. He said the marks on their diploma exams were six per cent above the provincial average.
He also noted this year was the first time ÉOHS awards have ever been held during with grad ceremonies.
During his address to the grads, Christensen said the goal of people is to find happiness.
He cited the legend of The Knights of the Round Table and their search for the Holy Grail -- the cup Christ drank from during the Last Supper -- saying it’s an allegory for that search for happiness and the value of helping others.
Christensen said in his life he’s learned that the best way to achieve happiness is to make others -- including those you love -- happy.
He said this class was graduating at a “unique time in history.”
The pandemic has forced change, Christensen said, but change and uncertainty frequently happens anyway.
“The trick is not to avoid uncertainty, but to try to develop the skills to manage it,” Christensen said.
He urged the grads to “continue to nurture the skills necessary to read and react to the unexpected.”
Red Deer Mountain View MP Earl Dreeshen said although it’s always been important for people to help each other, the pandemic has underlined that.
He said he’s proud of all the grads and urged them to stay in Olds to help build the community.
Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills MLA and house speaker Nathan Cooper pre-recorded his message to the grads with Pomp And Circumstance playing in the background.
He conceded the celebrations weren’t probably held the way they had expected, “but what an amazing story you have to tell,” he said.
“And I know that all members of the legislative assembly are so proud of your commitment and dedication to get you to where you are today.”
Jason Drent, associate superintendent of learning services for Chinook’s Edge School Division also praised the graduates for their perseverance as classes moved online.
“This truly demonstrates the resilience and dedication of each and every one of you,” he said.
Drent also thanked all the teachers and staff for their hard work to enable the class of 2020 to graduate.
CESD trustee Trudy James paraphrased the old quote that good things come to those who wait.
“And you as grads have had to wait this year; not anything to do with anything you did, it was just the circumstances,” she said.
This year, the valedictory address was given by two grads – Noah Martens and Claire Petersen – both of whom achieved the exact same average of 95.5 per cent.
They were enthusiastic students, willing to participate in school activities and events and to help their fellow students.
“We know our senior year did not play out as we had all envisioned. However, we have not allowed these past months to take away from years of memories,” Martens said.
“We hope that our time away from school has given us a greater appreciation of all that we were able to share together as a class.”
Petersen agreed.
“Having come out on the other side of the many challenges we have faced during our years of schooling, we have grown as both individuals and as a class,” she said.
Martens thanked teachers and staff for “tolerating our diverse eccentricities and allowing each of us to flourish into the people we are today.”
Petersen thanked the families of all the grads for their love and support.
Both speakers said having their education upended by the pandemic and other events that unfolded at the same time has opened their eyes.
“A global pandemic has forced us to re-envision how our society is structured and the fragility of our role in the world,” Petersen said.
“The racial tensions which have arisen have laid bare the divisions that still exist among us and continued apathy toward the effect that our actions have on the environment is making our planet increasingly unstable,” she added.
“When we look at the world we must understand that if it is to be, it is up to us,” Martens said.
“We must find issues which we would like to fix and fight to ensure that progress is made.
“We know that with all of us at the helm, the world tomorrow will be a better place than it is today.”
