COCHRANE— A petition to host an in-person modified graduation for the Bow Valley High School Class of 2020 has found success.
Kristen Holt launched the ad hoc Facebook group for parents of Bow Valley High School Class of 2020 students to brainstorm ideas to celebrate graduates in Cochrane while adhering to COVID-19 public health protocols.
The group launched a petition calling for the Class of 2020 to be able to celebrate their rite of passage together in-person and received the go-ahead to host a modified graduation ceremony in early June.
“We all needed it and I think it’s all fallen together,” Holt said.
Holt said it was one of the most exciting moments of her life finding out they would be allowed to host an outdoor graduation ceremony.
It is especially exhilerating she said because they were able to get the go-ahead from the Town of Cochrane and The Spring Hill RV Park to host a ceremony.
“We went from zero options to having two— That was just amazing,” Holt exclaimed.
The graduation will be held at The Spring Hill RV Park on June 20. Holt added it is a special location because it is owned by one of the graduate's families.
“It’s kind of exciting and unique for our class to do it somewhere where, one of their grads, it’s a big part of his life,” Holt said.
Spring Hill RV Park owner Sean Veraart said his son Isaiah Sproul will be one of the graduates attending the ceremony.
“I know our son was super disappointed when COVID broke and the realization came that there wasn’t going to be a grad,” Veraart said. “It feels good that we can do something. I know that it's not really something that a grad normally is but we can try and give some kind of normalcy.”
As soon as his family learned that the Bow Valley High School Class of 2020 was on the hunt for a graduation ceremony location they immediately offered up space.
“This pandemic has been really hard for these kids, not having grad, not having a lot of those things they look forward to after 12 years of school,” Veraart said.
The RV Park is the perfect area for a modified grad ceremony because of the large green space that will allow for social distancing. He added that because it is a private facility it will be easier to control how many people are in attendance to ensure they adhere to COVID-19 public health protocols.
“It feels good that we can do something for these grads,” he said. “We’re really proud and we’re really excited to be able to do this. We’re really looking forward to it.”
It has been amazing seeing the graduation ceremony come to life and it will be a memory that lasts a lifetime for the class of 2020 and their unique celebration, Holt said.
Spring Hill RV Park is a big space that is perfect for social distancing and parents will be setting up special backdrops for photoshoots with students once they exit the stage area.
The graduation will adhere to COVID-19 public health measures and host 100 people in attendance at a time and social distancing will be in place during the ceremony.
“I’m really proud that even with everything that’s going on in the world right now that these kids have a positive ray of light in their community,” Holt said. “It’s a day that they’ll never forget— It’s a unique graduation ceremony for a very unique class and year.”
Bow Valley High School parents are proud they were able to make their dream into a reality, she said, especially seeing the joy it is already bringing to students.
The graduation starts at 1 p.m. and will feature time slots for graduates and their families. Each time slot will have 12 graduates and students are allowed to bring six guests with them to celebrate.
Graduates have received a "grad in a box gift" from Bow Valley High School that includes a cap, gown, stole and diploma that can be used during the ceremony.
Rocky View Schools is unable to be involved in the ceremony Holt added, but some teachers will be in attendance as guests.
“They [students] are very happy to have some of their guests attending,” she said.
The students are all very excited for the ceremony, she said, adding that 107 have already RSVPs for the event out of 157 graduates.
Holt said she is still looking to ensure that all graduates are aware of the ceremony, especially those who do not use Facebook.
“We certainly don’t want anyone to miss it just because they haven’t heard the details,” Holt said.
For graduates that still need to RSVP for graduation they can send an email to Holt at [email protected].
