Gordon Bell celebrates graduation at home

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/06/2020 (2179 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

June is supposed to be an exciting time. for Grade 12 students as they are graduating and planning their first steps into adulthood.

Usually, it’s a time for celebration. But because many schools’ graduation ceremonies have been cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic, some grads aren’t able to celebrate this impressive milestone in their lives.

Gordon Bell High School hopes to give these students some sense of closure. The school, in partnership with the Winnipeg School Division, handed out lawn signs and grad wear to its graduating class of 2020.

The signs were delivered by a team of teachers and staff, who were able to check up on their students and congratulate them.

Kelly Friesen teaches Grade 10 to 12 English at Gordon Bell. She was one of the volunteers handing out the signs. Friesen said the gesture made everyone happy.

“The smiles on their faces were pretty big when we showed up. The only bigger smiles were the teachers handing out the signs,” Friesen said. “Graduating is an accomplishment, it’s a big turning point in everyone’s life. When you’re in elementary school, you know what you’re doing next year, you’re doing the next year of school. In Grade 12, you’re making decisions, you’re not seeing the same people every day. That deserves a celebration.”

Friesen said over 20 teachers and staff volunteered to deliver over 100 signs on May 28.

Due to COVID-19, Manitoba schools were closed on March 31, with teachers working long hours to make the transition into online learning. The process has been a challenge, as schools balance between delivering education on apps like Seesaw and Showbie and delivering packaged lesson plans for students without smart devices.

As part of Manitoba’s Phase 2 reopening plan, schools were allowed to partially reopen on June 1 with restrictions in place.  This has allowed teachers to reconnect with students and help them plan for their future.

Some schools are looking at holding ceremonies in September or October.

Without a way to mark this pivotal moment in their lives, students are left feeling lost and confused.

Jenel James is a Grade 12 student at Gordon Bell. While she enjoyed meeting her teachers and walking the halls again, she feels like she needs closure for her time in school.
“It was a familiar feeling, it was nice to have some sense of normalcy. I think we’re all feeling kind of out of place right now. It’s weird, not being able to have proper closure for all that time we spent in school,” James said. “It’s not what we were expecting. I would say that we just need to hold on, we’re all going through this and we have each other to rely on during this tough time.”

For many teachers, providing advice to students is difficult during all this uncertainty. Friesen had this to say to her graduating class.

“I’m looking for advice more than giving it now. I would say they need to just to trust themselves, they have great skills and great insight,” Friesen said. “This is not going to last forever, they’re going to take all the things they learned into adulthood and they will find a way to make it work out.”