Sask. students graduate after dealing with uncertainty due to COVID, sanctions

They didn’t get a chance to walk across the stage for their Grade 8 farewell.

But four years later, Kate Hultgren and her classmates at Sheldon Williams Collegiate in Regina will get to do so as they mark the end of their high school journeys. Their grad ceremony is set for Wednesday.

Hultgren, who is one of the co-presidents of Sheldon’s Student Leadership Council, finished elementary school and started high school under bizarre circumstances, as both were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

But now that she’s reached the end, Hultgren said it feels like it went by a lot quicker than she expected.

“I know that’s a common feeling that a lot of people experience when they’re about to graduate,” she said.

When entering Grade 9, Hultgren and her classmates had to deal with the quint system, which split the learning year into five parts rather than the usual two semesters.

Between that and other measures to accommodate COVID-19 like social distancing, Hultgren said it was a “weird experience,” but her teachers were always able to make the best of it.

“Now we’re graduating, and it doesn’t almost feel real,” she said.

Hultgren said dealing with these challenges makes graduating feel even more rewarding.

“It’s been challenging, but I feel like because we haven’t had some of those opportunities in the past – like our Grade 8 graduation or like a normal introduction to high school – being able to graduate and have a normal ceremony and a normal prom and reception, it makes it all feel so much more special,” Hultrgren said.

Hultgren’s Grade 12 year was also impacted by uncertainty.

With the looming threat of sanctions from the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, Hultgren said her classmates were preparing to not have any type of graduation at all as the contract dispute between teachers and the provincial government dragged on.

Hultgren said students looked at options like having parents step in to run their reception, but the sanctions ended when the parties agreed to take the dispute to binding arbitration.

But despite the uncertainty students may have faced this year, Hultgren said she and her peers remained supportive of the teachers.

“I can speak on behalf of most of us when I say that we’ve all supported teachers’ efforts to advocate for our education and for future education, even if that means some pitfalls in our experience,” Hultgren said.

She added that teachers have made great efforts to ensure students have had an enjoyable experience throughout the year, even during the labour dispute.

Hultgren said she plans to pursue music education at the University of Regina.