Crescent Heights High School co-valedictorian Emily Warwick (Screengrab from Facebook.com/CHHS76)

By Chris Brown

Memories to last a lifetime

Just like the year, grad will be unforgettable for CHHS students

May 24, 2020 | 9:40 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Crescent Heights High School graduates will get walk the stage, be handed their diploma and have their tassel moved over next month.

But, like most things in 2020, it’ll be a little different than ever before and one that people will remember.

“I don’t think anybody will forget the grads of 2020,” said vice-principal Shonna Barth. “It’s quite an exceptional year not just because of who they are but also because of what they’ve been going through.”

Cap and gown ceremonies are planned for June 10 and 11.

“We have a schedule set up for families to come to the school and we have a path they follow following all current safety guidelines. So they can come in and get their cap and gown and diploma, they’ll be able to come up on stage with a couple of people from the school,” explained Barth.

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After that the students and their families will move to the cafeteria where stations have been set up for traditional cap and gown photos, family photos and even a photo morphing station. Barth says that one will provide more than a few laughs for everyone.

“They provide a picture from when they were a toddler or baby and then they provide a current picture and many of the students like to set it up as a similar pose,” she said. “So if when they were two they were holding their teddy bear they might hold their teddy bear again at 18 years old.”

Barth said the school plans to put some of those photos together with speeches by co-valedictorians Kennedy Galloway and Emily Warwick, messages from school officials and board members into a video that will be somewhat like a traditional grad ceremony. The video will be presented to grads and their families somehow, but the details are still being worked out.

On June 13 the students will gather at Kin Coulee Park next to their grad signs along the path. Families and the public will be invited to drive through the park and honk and parade and cheer for the students, Barth said adding that’s their chance to wear their “prom” clothes if they choose.

“One of the things the kids were really missing out on was the opportunity to wear the dresses they bought or their suits,” she explained. “And some students hadn’t gotten to that point yet or it’s not their thing so we wanted everyone to be comfortable wearing their casual gear or maybe their sports gear or whatever they want to wear on that day.”

Barth said being able to give the graduating students some sort of celebration was important for everyone.

“It’s a great group of students and it’s been a rough year for them. A lot of them didn’t get to finish their sports season or their other activities they were involved in. It’s just that rite of passage of having your last experiences at a high school. We want to make sure they get an opportunity to celebrate the work that they’ve done, say goodbye to each other and not be forgotten.”