MALLAIG - It was a bittersweet afternoon on May 23, as staff members from Mallaig School made their way from St. Paul to Mallaig and then into the nearby rural area, to visit each of the school's 12 graduating students. The day should have been the school's official graduation ceremony, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those plans have been drastically altered.
"Collaboratively, the staff composed a list of suggestions on how to celebrate the graduation virtually," explained Principal Kellie Handford, who took on the position of principal just a few months ago. "The consensus was that we wanted May 23, 2020, to be as special and memorable as possible for them. We wanted to make the best of a bad situation."
While it wasn’t really the type of celebration anyone wanted, staff felt a graduation parade was the most meaningful and safe way to celebrate the occasion.
"We still wanted them to be with their families and the group of people that showed them the way. Having a graduating class of 12 students has allowed for us to build very strong positive relationships with these students," said Handford. "Some of us have known the students since they started kindergarten. They are like our second family and we wanted to celebrate with them in the most personal way possible."
So, on Saturday morning, a convoy made up of 16 vehicles took to the road. Due to the school's rural location, the route totalled 140 km and took over four hours to complete.
"To our surprise, the majority of graduates were dressed in their formal wear and they were waiting for us to parade by their homes . . . It was emotional for some staff and students as they had not seen each other since the school closure in mid-March," said Handford.
She admits, the past few weeks have been hard for staff and students.
"We are missing our students and we believe they are missing us as well. Who would have known that we would be in the midst of a pandemic and that this year's graduating class would not be able to celebrate with their friends and families like every other grad year?"
She said the weekend helped recharge everyone.
"In some ways, the parade seemed more personal than the actual graduation day," admitted Handford. "Though there were no celebratory handshakes, the students were able to still feel recognized and special, and that is what was most important to our staff."
An actual graduation ceremony will still be held in the future, once the situation allows.
