Sunday June 13, 2021 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke, Editor | Island Social Trends
High school graduation season is well underway in BC in this month of June 2021. In the west shore and Sooke areas, there are 848 graduates celebrating their accomplishment of completing secondary school in Sooke School District 62 (SD62) and receiving their Grade 12 Dogwood Certificate.
But the COVID-19 pandemic still makes its mark. It’s the second year in a row that the pandemic-related public health restrictions have impacted the festivities that are normally associated with high school graduation. However, this year (more so than last) there’s been a lot of innovation and variation on the usual themes — both on the the part of the BC Government and within that the districts, schools and families.
The impact of health & safety guidelines:
For convocation, there are some pretty strict guidelines (click here for the full PDF): COVID-19 Planning resource: Graduation (gov.bc.ca).
Masks can be removed by students when receiving their diploma (e.g. walking across the stage) and when posing for photos if physical distancing is maintained. No handshakes or high-fives. Outdoor ceremonies are encouraged, wherever possible.
Grade 12 graduation ceremony options this year for all BC schools include drive-thru ceremony, learning group ceremony, travelling ‘road show’ ceremonies, and individual ceremonies.
For reference, see the full K-12 Health & Safety Guidelines and the PHO Gathering & Events Order.
SD62 grad flavour 2021:
On the part of Sooke School District 62 (SD62), they have supported the preparation of professional videos (including speeches by valedictorians and community leaders) and are live-streaming each small graduation ceremony (cohorts of up to 50 people, including 30 students plus teachers and support staff). Those visuals will be made available online to the families and friends of the graduates.
The entire SD62 effort seems more relaxed and streamlined compared to the 2020 graduation season experience when the management of COVID-19 in public spaces was far less understood by public health. Many grads last year did lose out on the feeling of a complete graduation.
Four high schools:
SD62 has four secondary schools:
- Belmont Secondary School (on Langford Lake Road, in the older Westhills area of Langford);
- Royal Bay Secondary School (on Ryder Hesjedal Way in the fast-growing Royal Bay area of Colwood);
- Edward Milne Community School (on Highway 14 in Sooke on the east edge of town); and
- Westshore Centre for Learning & Training (main office on Goldstream Avenue in Langford, with various teaching locations plus online distance learning).
Speakers in the grad videos:
Pre-recorded speeches in the SD62-produced grad videos include participation by: the valedictorian for each school; aboriginal valedictorians; SD62 Superintendent Scott Stinson (on behalf of the district); SD62 Board Chair Ravi Parmar (on behalf of the Board); Esquimalt-Metchosin MLA Mitzi Dean for Royal Bay Secondary (that school is within her riding); and Premier John Horgan (for all four SD62 secondary schools) whose riding Langford-Juan de Fuca includes Langford and Sooke.
And featured in the videos are the mayors of the three municipalities where the three main high schools are located, i.e. Langford Mayor Stew Young for Belmont, Mayor Rob Martin for Royal Bay, and Sooke Mayor Maja Tait for EMCS.
Premier Horgan in particular has highlighted the importance of K-12 public education throughout his political career. He lives in Langford and engages with the many facets of Sooke; he has been the MLA in his riding since 2005.
SD62 Board Chair Ravi Parmar is himself an SD62 graduate.
Graduate numbers:
Here is the SD62 June 2021 graduation year, by the numbers: 848 graduates (333 Belmont Secondary, 285 Royal Bay Secondary, 165 Edward Milne Community School and 65 Westshore Centre for Learning); of that total, 70 identify as aboriginal.
Schools & Valedictorians:
The number of graduates is naturally larger at the larger schools. Each school has valedictorians who also identify as aboriginal. Here is the list of valedictorians by school, in alphabetical order:
- Belmont Secondary School: 333 graduates | Jeannie Chipps (Scia’new), Jack Strom
- Royal Bay Secondary School: 285 graduates | Megan McCool (Métis), Aasmita Sharma, William Shaw
- Edward Milne Community School: 165 graduates | Shanyce Costain (T’Sou-ke First Nation), Alyssa Taylor
- Westshore Centre for Learning: 65 graduates | Sydney Atleo (Ahousaht First Nation); Jared Orman (WestShore Colwood); Noah Csaky-Schwede (WestShore Langford); Nick Tucker (WestShore Sooke).
Community impact:
While high school graduation might seem of little consequence each June to members of the broader community, it’s actually an important time for everyone. These graduates are the young adults who represent our communities as they venture out into the world, they are the people who oftentimes work in our businesses and offices, they are the next generation of leaders for the west shore and Sooke.
The community at large has supported the education of our youth through property taxes, the backing of scholarships, and most importantly through our commitment as parents. For the schools that have career days, we have supported them as local businesses with insights about real-world interface with education.
===== RECENT ARTICLES about SD62:
Growing food at SD62 schools includes summer work experience (June 4, 2021)
School-grown seeds supported by Buckerfield’s Langford (April 22, 2021)
SD62 to protect mental health & arts amidst 2021-2022 budget cuts (April 14, 2021)
Deep in the third wave: SD62 sees low attendance following COVID exposures, fully remote Ed Policy meeting (April 7, 2021)
===== About Island Social Trends:
Island Social Trends Editor Mary P Brooke has been covering the news of SD62 up close (board level, committee level, schools and programs) since 2014.
Starting June 2021, the Island Social Trends Journalism Scholarship has been launched in SD62. This year one graduate at Royal Bay Secondary School will receive the $500 scholarship.