GLACE BAY, N.S. — Glace Bay Excessive Faculty college students and fogeys upset the honour roll college students weren’t getting an in-person ceremony might have been pleasantly stunned this week.
An e mail invitation despatched Thursday signifies college students will get the prospect to stroll throughout a stage to get their medals at an out of doors ceremony on June 29.
Accomplished by appointments, that are discovered on the college’s web site, the invitation encourages folks to park their vehicles after their college students obtain their medals to discover the brand new outside studying areas, basketball court docket and scholar backyard challenge.
Barbara Estwick, a social employee whose oldest daughter is in Grade 10 at Glace Bay Excessive, believes returning to in-person occasions is necessary for college kids.
“We have to get again the school-community connection that is been misplaced. We have to get again to oldsters being welcome in colleges,” she stated.
“Once I go to a parent-teacher assembly, I am requested ‘Why are you right here?’ I am like, why should not I be right here? Training is necessary and I want my youngsters to know that.”
Nonetheless, some dad and mom really feel the outside ceremony on June 29 nonetheless will not have a good time the tutorial achievements of their kids the way in which the scholars need to be acknowledged.
“I really feel just like the ceremony change is a lacklustre try and appease the dad and mom,” stated Tracy Aucoin, who has a daughter in Grade 10 on the college.
“Even stating (on the invitation) ‘Who desires to sit down in a stuffy health club’ is insulting to our intelligence. I do (principal) Mr. Holland. I might wait within the health club to see these youngsters get the accolades they deserve.”
DRIVE-THRU AWARDS
Initially, dad and mom and college students have been knowledgeable the honour roll awards have been going to be distributed as they have been in 2021; households driving as much as an space the place academics would give the scholar their medal and certificates via the window.
The Cape Breton Submit has seen written communication between the Glace Bay Excessive Faculty principal and Aucoin that acknowledged they might be following the identical award ceremony as final yr.
“There was no fanfare. The trainer did not know who Joleigh was, did not know the way exhausting she labored or what she has carried out. They requested her identify then stated, ‘Right here you go’ and handed her a paper with everybody’s identify on it and a medal,” she stated.
Estwick stated each her and her daughter have been “disillusioned” the honour roll awards have been going to be given out the identical approach on June 29, when there isn’t any college, very first thing within the morning.
“I used to be disillusioned for not solely my daughter however for the opposite college students too who aren’t being celebrated the way in which they need to be,” stated Estwick.
“My daughter stated, ‘Why do not they only give it to us in homeroom then?’ She does not need to rise up and prepare for this on her time without work (from college.)”
Whereas the awards ceremony is being held exterior, Glace Bay Excessive Faculty has had different end-of-year occasions inside. The athletic awards have been offered to college students on Thursday throughout college hours. Aucoin stated there was a band live performance Thursday evening held inside.
Different colleges, like Riverview Excessive Faculty, held their awards ceremonies inside.
“We have to get again the school-community connection that is been misplaced. – Barbara Estwick
CELEBRATING OUTSIDE
An interview request with somebody from Glace Bay Excessive Faculty was not granted, nonetheless, a written assertion was supplied.
“Commencement and educational shows will observe an appointment-based format which has been very nicely obtained prior to now. These personalised shows permit college students to work together and have interaction with their academics and different college employees as they settle for their award,” the assertion stated.
“The format additionally permits college students to deliver extra associates and/or relations with them to observe the presentation. The choice to observe this format was made based mostly on session with members of the college’s SAC (Scholar Advisory Committee) and likewise took into consideration suggestions from employees, college students and households.”
The assertion additionally stated they’re utilizing the outside ceremony “to advertise a few of the magnificent transformations the college property has undergone lately together with a brand new outside studying house, a backyard house and the Burr Path.”
Time slots for the honour roll awards are depicted by grade: 9 a.m. is for Grade 9 college students, 10 a.m. for tenth grade, 11 a.m. for Grade 11 and midday for graduates.
Aucoin feels this nonetheless segregates the scholars an excessive amount of, stopping others within the college or neighborhood to see these reaching educational excellence.
“There might be some small enterprise homeowners within the viewers who see a scholar stroll throughout the stage and keep in mind them as being somebody who dropped off a resume final week,” stated the mom of 4.
Aucoin, who lives in Glace Bay, is one guardian who voiced issues in regards to the drive-thru ceremony to the college and her MLA.
“(There’s a) distinction between strolling throughout the stage, listening to your identify referred to as, listening to the applause from the individuals who love you within the viewers, being acknowledged by your friends and classmates and different academics who have not met you but … and going via a drive-thru like at Tim Hortons,” she stated. “I should not have to clarify that to an educator.”
– Nicole Sullivan is a multimedia journalist for the Cape Breton Submit. Observe her on Twitter @CBPostNSullivan.
