Outdoor grad ceremony suggestion ‘surprising and aspirational’ say Ottawa school boards

Local school board officials admit they've been caught off guard by the Ontario government's idea that schools should host outdoor graduation ceremonies, where students can see their friends and teachers one last time for the year.

“I would say that it's aspirational to say that we will have outdoor graduations in two weeks' time,” says Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) Director of Education Tom D'Amico. “Preparing a graduation for 200 to 300 students, even if it's outdoors, it requires a great deal of logistical planning. It really is weather-dependent and we have 15 different sites where there is no coverage — soccer fields, etc. — so there's a lot that needs to be worked out before we can say that we're going to be able to do outdoor graduations.”

Premier Doug Ford made the suggestion as part of an announcement on Wednesday, June 2, that schools would not be reopening for in-person learning in Ontario until September.

A statement from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) says, “We were surprised by the direction to plan outdoor in-person ceremonies for all students. We will need time to consider the operational and health requirements to ensure the continued safety of our community as we move optimistically into the summer.”

D'Amico echoes the public school board's statement regarding public health measures.

“As of right now, I'm not aware that we can have a gathering of 200-300 people in two weeks' time,” says the OCSB director of education.

Meanwhile, Director Designate at the Upper Canada District Schol Board Valerie Allen says her teams have already been planning graduation ceremonies for months. As of Wednesday, she was planning to see all grad ceremonies continue virtually with staff members dropping signs and tokens to Grade 8 and 12 graduates.

“We need more clarity from the ministry about the in-person ceremony itself — who is it designed for,” Allen asks. “It seems to be a bit of a contradiction in having in-school or at-school, in-person ceremonies.”

Finally, Renfrew County District School Board Director of Education Pino Buffone says he appreciates the sentiment from the premier in acknowledging how important grad is for students in all grades, and especially those leaving Grades 8 and 12. His school board is expecting to continue with some form of small in-person graduation ceremonies, including coordinated photo ops at schools sites.