‘We’re missing out’: Parents frustrated over Cambridge school’s decision to forego formal graduation ceremony

Moffat Creek Public School has opted for a student-only graduation celebration. CTV’s Alexandra Holyk finds out why.

Parents of Grade 8 students at a Cambridge, Ont., elementary school say they’re frustrated over a decision to forego a formal graduation ceremony this year.

Christina Fryer and Amanda Williams said they were told by Moffat Creek Public School that there will be a student-only celebration, meaning parents and families are not invited.

“It’s a milestone and we’re missing out,” Fryer said. “It’s awful. It’s sad. I definitely cried when I found out, it’s something that I’m going to miss out on.”

Williams said she was disappointed she wouldn’t get to see her first-born child, Jamar, wear a cap and gown and cross the stage.

“It’s absolutely disgusting what the school did to us,” she said. “I don’t feel like the school communicated well on this topic.”

But the Waterloo Region District School Board disagrees. In a statement to CTV News, associate director of education services Alison Gaymes San Vicente said Grade 8 celebrations at the school have not been cancelled.

“After thoughtful consideration, Moffat Creek Public School decided to hold a student-only celebration during the school day, a decision that was communicated to students, parents, families, and caregivers earlier this year,” Gaymes San Vicente said. “This approach was designed to create an engaging experience that centres students and their accomplishments as they mark this important milestone.”

The board also said school staff reviewed community needs and used student voices to guide the planning.

“Based on that process, they decided a student-only daytime celebration would best highlight students’ accomplishments and create meaningful experiences for everyone,” a statement said.

But Fryer said she thinks parents should have been part of that process.

“It should have been something that the Grade 8 parents were contacted about and spoken to about before the decision had been made,” she said.

Fryer and Williams said the lack of communication from the school made the news worse. Details were shared on School-Day, an online portal some parents may find hard to navigate.

“For them to make such a big decision on an internet base is mind-blowing,” Williams said. “Because not everyone has that internet accessibility.”

“The only thing that we got to do is show up for (our kids) when they graduate,” Fryer added. “And now that’s been taken and it’s a really not nice feeling.”

The school said families are invited to take part in a “clap out” at the end of the day, following the student-only celebration. But for some parents, that won’t be enough.

“I’m not quite sure what they’re expecting a clap out is going to do,” Williams said. “It’s not the same thing as watching him cross a stage to get a diploma, or even be in a cap and gown.”

Since there isn’t enough time for parents to put together their own graduation ceremony, Williams and Fryer said they plan to have smaller celebrations with close friends and family. However, they hope the problem doesn’t persist and that there is better communication between the school and the community moving forward.