Another year, another graduation ceremony. For fifteen years
now, my mother, sister and I have been presenting an award in my father’s name
to a deserving student who is truly interested in science. As I sat there this
year, watching one student after another shaking hands, or enthusiastically
hugging or clapping the back of their young principal, I realized that
something was different. There was an unusual vibe permeating the festivities.
The grads were dressed creatively, as per usual, with each
one attempting to shine in their own individual spotlight. Of course, one or
two were trying to blend into the crowd, but most were taking the opportunity
to express themselves. They left their grad robes open in front, to expose
their brightly patterned tropical shirts and shorts, their flip flops or cowboy
boots. I swear I even saw the telltale red soles of a pair of Christian
Louboutin designer stiletto heels.
Last year we were asked to ‘hold the applause’ until the end
of a group of graduates. That didn’t work very well. This year the organizers
just let us clap at will. Some students illicited hoots and hollers from their
biggest fans and closest friends. Things proceeded in a fairly orderly manner,
but there was a really casual tone to the event.
As one young man accepted his diploma, instead of returning
to his graduating class, he kept right on going out the exit door. He called
back to one of his friends, “Steve! Come on!” But Steve did not follow. The
teachers just smiled. The principal shrugged.
Maybe they played “Pomp and Circumstance” as the class filed
in, maybe they didn’t. I don’t recall. But it was definitely more like a house
party than a convocation ceremony. And that’s fine. I mean, who am I to judge? As
I contemplated this, I realized that this was a very special graduating class.
This particular class started in the fall of 2019 – a mere six months before
the worldwide pandemic hit, forever changing what their high school careers
would look like.
They learned how to complete Grade 9 and 10 in virtual
classrooms. By the end of Grade 11 in 2022, the smoke was beginning to clear.
But they had been changed forever. These resilient, resourceful students had
found a way to succeed in an impossible situation. Dozens of them graduated as
Ontario Scholars, with an average over 80 percent. There were remarkable
students in the group, winning thousands of dollars in scholarships and awards.
Yes, some students barely made it through. But perhaps they
learned far more about themselves than a textbook could ever teach them. And
now they go out into the world to teach the rest of us.
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