Rossland Seven Summits Centre for Learning students will have a unique graduation ceremony this year in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.
School operations manager Ann Quarterman said the six graduates will take the Red chairlift to the summit of Red Mountain on Thursday, June 18 for their iconic grad photos.
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To maintain physical distancing, only one graduate will be allowed on each chair and there will be an empty chair between each graduate as they head up and down the mountain.
“The graduates are super excited because of many of them have been riding that chairlift their entire lives,” said Quarterman.
“However, this will be a really special moment because they’ll be able to ride the chairlift in the summer and ride it down the mountain, which most people have never been able to do.”
Afterward, students will each be able to invite six family members to a dinner on the deck of the lodge.
Quarterman said families will have to bring their own food and beverages to the dinner due to health protocols set out by the provincial government.
Award announcements, student speeches and $8,615 worth of bursaries and scholarships will be given out during the dinner.
Quarterman said preparations for the graduation ceremony looked different this year.
“We’ve been working on this since after the student break in March. That’s when we knew the graduation ceremony wasn’t going to look the same,” said Quarterman.
“Preparing this ceremony has actually been less [work] than a typical year due to all the health restrictions. It’s mostly been myself and Red Mountain Academy director Christine Andison organizing this.”
The graduation ceremony will be livestreamed on the school’s Facebook page during the graduation ceremony for people unable to attend.
This will be the school’s seventh annual graduation ceremony for students.
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