LAMPMAN - Lampman School celebrated its graduates last Saturday.
The theme for this year was The First Chapter of the Rest of Our Lives.
The last few years of the education process weren't the easiest, but fortunately, 13 grads were able to come to the end of their school time in a traditional way.
"We started off the year with COVID regulations in place, of course, being hopeful that we could, by June, have a bit more of a traditional grad. And it turned out that we're able to do that," said principal Annemarie Rosner.
The ceremony portion was put on by the school’s parent committee, and then the grads continued with a community parade – something that also became a great attraction and a new tradition due to the pandemic. The last was organized by the parents.
"We [also] did go forth with purchasing the banners again, and they're highlighted along Highway 361, to celebrate our 13 graduates," Rosner added. "It's a group of kids who are actively involved in our school and community."
The graduation ceremony and theme were focused on Lampman School's traditional colours, which are dark forest green, black and white. The graduation ceremony was also kept along the lines of what generations of Lampman graduates have experienced.
For the big day, parents wrote one-page bios for their children to be read during the ceremony. For each student, there was a tribute to parents and a reply. Robin Ulrich, who is a previous teacher who left a positive mark on this group, was a guest speaker. There was also a tribute to the teachers, a diploma ceremony, a rose ceremony for the parents and two dances.
Rosner said that despite all of the challenges the pandemic brought in for the students, they've made it to the end well.
"They've been true champions through the last two and a half years for sure. They've really embraced the challenge and did the best that they could, given the challenges that existed. And we were all really relieved when we were able to go forward with a grad that would be in our gym that resembles more of a traditional grad," Rosner said. "So although the year started off a little stressful, in the end, we were able to put together something special for the kids."
She also praised the graduates for all their achievements and who they are.
"They are true leaders in every sense of the word, all 13 of them. They are students who are actively involved in our school and community. They've got a wide range of interests and strengths and have diverse plans for after graduation. And we all as staff look forward to hearing about their future endeavours. They'll be greatly missed as they've left a positive impact on our school," Rosner said.
"We wish them well and we thank them for all that they've done making our school a better place. Stay in touch, keep us in the loop and just keep being you."
