The 2020 graduates won't be able to toss their hats up in the air this year to celebrate. (Mat Barrett/northeastNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

Drive-by Grad

MUCC parent graduation committee organizing drive-by celebration for 2020 graduates

Jun 16, 2020 | 12:08 PM

It’s been a strange end to the year for the graduating classes of 2020 across the globe, but committees have come together to come up with different, and safe ways to celebrate local graduates.

At Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate (MUCC), a parent graduation committee is set up each year. That group plans the traditional banquet, grand march, and other grad events. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, plans changed for that committee. The banquet was postponed until possibly the fall, but even then, some graduates wouldn’t be able to attend. The committee then started planning an event on Monday, June 29, which would have been the traditional graduation day.

Leeann Fannon wasn’t originally on the grad planning committee, but was asked to help out because she works with the Saskatchewan Health Authority. Members felt she would be a big help when it comes to knowing the restrictions and what is allowed.

“We knew certainly that it wouldn’t look traditional in any way, shape or form,” she said. “But it wouldn’t hurt to look at what the guidelines were from the Saskatchewan Health Authority, and see if we couldn’t come up with something.”

Fannon gave plenty of credit to the parents already on the committee who had numerous ideas after talking to different communities across the country and even from the United States.

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The SHA has since approved somewhat of a “drive-by” graduation set for June 29 in Melfort. Graduates will be lined up on Shadd Drive in Melfort from 4:30 to 6 p.m. to allow for family, friends, and the whole community to celebrate the graduating class. There are over 90 graduates at MUCC this year, and at last count, well over half of the graduates will participate.

“This may not be what every graduate wants, and really it’s not necessarily what any of us want,” Fannon told northeastNOW. “But it’s the position we’re in with the pandemic, and we just wanted to be able to celebrate them in some way, shape or form and have the community come out and do that as well.”

Grads will be 10 feet apart to respect social distancing requirements, and those who drive by are asked to not leave their vehicles. They are allowed to stop and take pictures and honour the graduates. Fannon said stakeholders including the City of Melfort and the RCMP have been notified of the event. There will also be signs on Shadd Drive warning drivers who might be on their commute home from work.

Fannon added with the reopening across the province and in the city, this is another event the community can get behind.

“This is just one more positive community activity that people can get on board with and it doesn’t take a lot of their time,” she said. “So, come out and give them a shout out.”

A virtual graduation is still set to be held by the school on the morning of June 29.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6