New Brunswick schools busy prepping for unexpected grad ceremonies

N.B. schools scrambling to make plans They weren't expecting to get green light to have graduation ceremonies. Mike Cameron reports.

SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Schools in New Brunswick are scrambling to come up with plans for graduation ceremonies, though few are expecting anything like a traditional ceremony.

The provincial government has given the green light for “alternative celebrations” to ensure this grad season is not lost to the pandemic.

"We've worked all these years, and you know," said Lewie Kernighan. "I think it's important that we're able to celebrate that."

Kernighan is graduating next month, and he and thousands of other students got good news this week.

New Brunswick Education Minister Dominic Cardy has opened the door to alternative forms of grad celebrations.

"There's no reason why we can't have people go get their diploma from the principal, get a picture with the principal, get their cap and gown that sort of thing," Kernighan said.

Schools across North America are struggling with the question of how to safely conduct grad ceremonies.

"We know that this has been a spring of disappointments for our graduates," says school district superintendent Zoe Watson.

Watson says provincial guidelines will have to be followed and each school's grad plan will have to be pre- approved.

"Our schools will have a time when grads and their family can drive up to the school and there is the presentation of the diploma by the principal, keeping in mind the principal and the student still have to maintain the two meters of physical distancing," Watson said.

Some schools elsewhere are already experimenting with forms of drive-through graduations. Other features are being considered as well.

"Some schools are pre-recording the usual speeches that would happen at a ceremony, the speech from the principal, the valedictorian," said Watson.

Students seem relieved that the milestone is not being overlooked.

"I'm really excited to see how everything turns out," said Kernighan. "Obviously, it won't be like it was before, but I think that we're still going to have a good time and still be proud of all of our achievements."

As long as physical distancing is maintained, graduation ceremonies may be very close to traditional at some of the smaller schools with small grad classes, like Campobello Island for example.

But for the large schools, with big grad classes, this will be a graduation season like no other.