DARIUS SHAHHEYDARI
PONTIAC June 10 2020
As the school year draws to an end, high schools in Pontiac are making plans as to how they will celebrate their graduating classes, despite the burden of COVID-19 measures.
Pontiac High School will . . .
be hosting a parade on June 19, where the graduates will be seated in the back of pick-up trucks and driven around Saheville.
This was inspired by an earlier one not related to graduation, which had their principal, Debra Stephens, dressed up in a panther suit – the school’s mascot – and waving to children.
“Some of the young women, they think about this from the time they’re in grade seven,” said Stephens. “It’s a big deal in their lives.”
Thus, Stephens said the school wanted to do something that would still feel big and allow them the graduates to celebrate this achievement.
“Each grad could be in the back of a pick-up truck, seated safely, totally socially distanced and people can be out and support them, totally socially distanced as well,” said Stephens.
Local dairy farmer, Nancy Pirie is donating square bales of hay for the graduates to be seated on in the trucks and Mike Dubeau, general director at Western Quebec School Board (WQSB) and former principal of Pontiac High School, will be driving Stephens at the event, who will be sitting in the back.
“Of course, the trucks will be going super slow,” said Stephens.
Everyone will meet at the Pontiac Agricultural Hall, in the parking lot by the fairgrounds, where graduates will remain in the lined-up trucks and be handed out surprise gifts.
“We hired a professional photographer to document the entire evening,” said Stephens.
This photographer will then use a fire truck to get an aerial shot of each graduate sitting in the back of their truck.
Between 60 and 65 of the 69 graduates are expected to attend the event, according to Stephens.
“This parade is going to take between one-and-a-half to two hours just to go all the way through town,” said Stephens.
According to Stephens, scheduling is as follows: trucks will be loading up with the bales of hay at 5 p.m., the graduates will be arriving to sit in their trucks after 5:30 p.m. and the parade starts at 6 p.m.
Prior to going ahead with the parade, Stephens contacted Sergeant Yves Martineau, who organized the previous parade and asked if he thought this could happen.
“If he hadn’t said yes, this wouldn’t be happening,” said Stephens. “He knows all the Santé Publique protocols and he knows how to keep everyone safe.”
Stephens said Martineau is organizing the graduate’s transportation and local businesses are donating either pick up trucks or other vehicles in which they could ride in the back and a driver for the evening.
“The amount of work and organizations he’s done with this is incredible and of course Santé Publique is okay with this because we’re following all protocols,” said Stephens.
At Ecole Secondaire Sieur de Coulonge (ESSC), the celebration, or “Final Coucou” in Vice-Principal Gabie Paré’s words, is scheduled to take place on June 25, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Students will come to the school and receive their t-shirts and gift bags like every year and have their teachers sign their yearbooks prior to coming in.
The celebration is expected to host 42 students and parents are not invited.
A sanitation table will greet the students as they come into the school for the ceremony and each student will have a pen of their own to use and will be given a mask and gloves, as well as a cupcake.
“There’s not going to be any handshaking and stuff like that,” said Paré
ESSC is unsure yet as to how students will be having their yearbooks signed by their peers. Paré is thinking they might lay out the yearbooks on the table and have students sanitize their hands before they sign each other’s books.
