Virtual grads are still on as crowd size rules ease
Province also allowing up to 150 to gather for worship services
REGINA Saskatchewan is allowing outdoor graduation ceremonies of up to 150 people, but school divisions say it’s likely too late to tear up plans for virtual celebrations.
Education Minister Gord Wyant announced the new policy on Monday, the same day the government increased limits on religious services, weddings and funerals. As of Monday, the cap on worship was 30 people or one third of capacity, whichever’s less.
Effective immediately, the upper limit goes up five-fold, to 150 people.
Wyant said the new policy follows talks with faith leaders. He noted that many places of worship are “fairly large” and welcome the same people week after week.
In the case of graduation ceremonies, Wyant said the timing of the decision comes under the advice of chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab.
“We know how important it is for graduates from Grade 12 to celebrate. It’s an important milestone in their life,” said Wyant. “So I was pleased to see that Dr. Shahab and his colleagues have given more consideration to this, having regard to the fact that we’re getting more and more requests.”
Shahab had argued earlier this week that gatherings of 30 are pushing the envelope of risk. On Thursday, he explained the discrepancy by saying that groups of 150 should still separate themselves into “cohorts” of 30 or less that should avoid random mixing with each other.
“The higher the mixing, the higher the risk,” he said.
It may be a moot point for graduation ceremonies. School divisions warned that it will be extremely difficult to organize in-person events for potentially hundreds of students on such short notice.
Saskatoon’s public school division plans to go ahead with virtual graduation ceremonies that have been in the works since April.
“We knew that gathering restrictions could change before the ceremonies streamed at the end of June, but the decision was made by our collegiates based on the information we had at the time, and all agreed this would remain the plan,” spokesperson Veronica Baker said in an email.
A group of parents whose kids are in the 2020 graduating class at Warman High School have organized a two-day event that will let them see their children walk across a stage to accept their diplomas, without stepping outside social distancing guidelines.
The parents have organized a drive-up graduation ceremony at Wyant Group Raceway in Saskatoon on June 26 and a vehicle procession to celebrate grads on June 25. The latter was approved at Warman’s city council meeting on Monday.
A traditional graduation ceremony won’t take place this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related public health orders.
Students will attend with families in their own vehicles and will park in assigned spots in the raceway until they’re called to the stage. When it’s their turn, they can drive up to the stage, where the student can get out and cross the stage to pick up their diploma; after that, they can take a victory lap around the track in their vehicle.
Darla Mclean’s daughter Sarah is among the 157 graduates of the school this year. While there was a virtual graduation celebration for students organized by teachers at the school, which involved videos and lawn signs, Mclean said parents wanted something more. They organized the two-day celebration on their own.
Initially, the students talked about just wanting to be with friends, Mclean said. “That was kind of a hard thing to deal with because we couldn’t give them that specifically, as far as being close to each other and hugging and high-fiving and things like that.”
One of the parent organizers went to school with Neil Schneider, the marketing director in charge of corporate development for Wyant Group Raceway.
“Graduation is one of your first big moments of your life, really. So we just wanted to help out,” Schneider said.
The raceway is temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is exploring how to reopen in stages.
“For us, we have the facility sitting there, we have ample enough room to park the cars and stage it properly,” he said.
About 108 students are expected to attending the event, which will be emceed by Dave Thomas, the Raceway’s announcer.
Graduating students are invited to decorate their vehicles for the procession in Warman. A route has not yet been confirmed, but it will take students around the city, where other residents can cheer for them as they pass by.
“I think that the public will really appreciate being able to come out and celebrate these grads,” Mclean said.