Zainab Al-Mehdar
Shawville June 15, 2022
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate the success of students in schools around Pontiac are hosting the first graduation events since covid restrictions put a hold on them.
After almost two years of putting them on hold, parents and friends will be able to see their . . .
loved ones walk across that stage. The Equity spoke to Bonnie Twolan McLachlin, program head and commerce teacher at the Pontiac Continuing Education Centre in Shawville, who highlighted that due to the delays the school really wanted to make this year’s graduation ceremony memorable for the students.
This year 21 students are graduating, they are expecting about 60 guests, and McLachlin will be giving out awards for students who finished their program in the years 2020, 2021 and 2022.
McLachlin is very proud of her students and the program she is able to provide them with. She explained they have a virtual classroom through a platform called Moodle, with students in Val-d’Or and Maniwaki. The program is geared towards what the students need to get them a job. All the content and materials the teachers give students live on the platform for students to access at all times, making it accessible to anyone in the program. She added that the program is individualized meaning students could graduate at different times of the year.
“What we’re seeing was registration was going down. We only had registration like once a year right and that just wasn’t serving the public. We had to shift and change to serve the public because not everybody can start in September,” she said.
One of her worries when the school shifted to a virtual platform was all the students that do not like to sit in front of the computer all day, but pointed out that she hasn’t seen that. McLachlin pointed out that you do get the odd person who says it is not for them but for the most part the students enjoy the independence. Through this system it has also made it easier for the teachers to track the students progress, she said.
McLachlin is also in charge of a program called recognition of acquired competencies (RAC), which serves to give people who have worked in an industry for a number of years but never got a diploma. Through the RAC program McLachlin was able to help someone get a diploma and they too will be joining this year’s ceremony.
Regularly students would get a ceremony done at the school, but in order to make up for lost time the school will be holding it at the Little Red Wagon Winery.
“I wanted to make it special for them and I knew the only way I could do that was to go outside the school,” said McLachlin.
She recognized that the past few years have been tough on her students. This graduation is a way to give them closure and the recognition of their hard work to receive their diploma. McLachlin is proud of how engaged the students were through all of it and for making it to the end of their program.
A reason for that was the program and technology available helped students through virtual learning she pointed out.
The commerce side of the school provides accounting, and administrative assistant programs and is associated with the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP). This allows students to work and go to school at the same time and then bridge directly into a placement which can lead to a job with the federal public service.
“It’s a closing of a chapter but it’s also recognizing, you know what, like you guys did a great job and here’s your certificate to state that you have completed it and we’re proud of each and every one,” said McLachlin.
The graduation will be on June 16 at 6 p.m. at the Little Red Wagon Winery.
