Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools ready for virtual graduation premiere

There was plenty of lights, cameras and action happening at Catholic high schools across Saskatoon this week.

Each high school in the city invited graduates to come back one final time to walk across the stage, get their diploma, pose for a photo and celebrate graduation while recording every moment.

Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools spent weeks planning, filming and editing all the activity, which will include awards, speeches from dignitaries, clergy and valedictorians to roll out a different kind of virtual graduation next Thursday.

Cheryl Thorson, the principal at St. Joseph High School said plans about how to properly celebrate the class of 2020 took many forms before the school board, parent groups and staff agreed on a virtual ceremony that closely mimics a typical graduation ceremony.

“For every single one of those kids there was a different reason grad would matter,” she said. “There would be lots of common reasons, but it would matter to each of those kids, so we wanted to create the best possible experience.”

Thorson said there are roughly 1,000 students graduating across the school board. Each school has added its own personal touches to the video to create a unique video that will last anywhere from one to two hours when videos go live at noon on Thursday.

Coordinating student appointments, staff to lead them, parents to decorate the school and videographers and photographers to capture all the precious moments became a much more daunting task than Thorson realized.

“I know what planning a grad is like,” Thorson said, leaning on her 24 years of teaching experience.

“This was 1,000 times more than anything we had ever done, but it was worth it in the end.”

Staff at the school knew something needed to be done after students were unceremoniously sent home in March due to COVID-19 with no prospects of ever returning.

“The kids felt good when they walked in the door,” Thorson said. “You see a lot of nervous students excited under normal circumstances when they’re crossing the stage at grad, and I saw that same nervousness and excitement when they came up here.”

“They got it — they got dressed up and their heart was in it too.”

The province nearly changed the plan last week when suddenly outdoor graduations of up to 150 people would be allowed with some provisions, but Thorson maintained that planning for June weather in Saskatchewan rarely works out in anyone’s favour.

Thorson isn’t sure how many families or graduates will be watching the graduation ceremonies next week, but she got the impression that it is going to be a widely viewed event.

“My sense is that the majority of families are planning something special for their son or daughter so they can have a celebration at home,” she said.

With every unprecedented event, organizers wonder if they’re doing the right thing, which was no different for the virtual graduation ceremony. Once Thorson saw the emotion from students, she felt this massive effort was worth it.

“We had kids that were wiping tears away at the end, and we had staff that were,” she said.

Thorson might not have the opportunity to be a principal planning a virtual graduation video coordinated with other schools across the city, but if she does, she knows how everyone involved handled the situation.

“Adversity can bring out the best in us and the worst in us, and I’d like to think with because of what we were able to with our grads, it brought out the best in us as educators and parent,” Thorson said.