June 24

Good morning Graduates!!!  Guess what day it is?!

We can hardly wait to see you all later this afternoon at the parade in honour and celebration of you, our Class of 2021.

Below you will find two important links. 

• The first is the video celebration which will not be available until 7pm but will remain available on the StuCo YouTube channel for viewing by loved ones who can't be with you in the moment.
• The second is a folder which will be populated later this evening, that you will want to access for photos.  All parade candid shots plus posed individual graduation photos from today will be uploaded to that folder so that you can choose the ones you want for your own album.

Have a great day everyone!  Enjoy the celebration with us and with your families at home.  We are very proud of all of you.

Nicholson Catholic College Graduation 2021 - YouTube

Grad Parade 2021

Mrs. Gorrell

One last thing Graduates.....

Assuming that you will be mindful of anyone in close proximity to you as you exit your vehicle for a photograph, we invite you to participate in this outdoor activity "unmasked" as long as you feel comfortable with that.

Mr. Rampp and I are standing 10 feet apart and you will stand between us but about 3 feet forward.  If I still remember the Pythagorean Theorem, that means that you will be just under 6 feet away from both of us, and standing in front of us, facing forward.  We planned it that way because we feel that most families will want a picture without masks at all.  If, however, you are entirely uncomfortable with us being unmasked, please know that we are happy to have the picture taken in the way that makes you comfortable.  You just need to indicate that to a staff member as you are approaching.

Thanks all.  See you soon.​

June 21

Good afternoon NCC graduates and parents/guardians,

As you know, we are looking forward to celebrating our Class of 2021 on Thursday June 24^th.   We don't want to give away all the details, but here are some things you can be thinking about in the meantime….

• Ensure that you and your parents will be available for whatever time your family is slotted into the parade between 2:30 and 5:30 pm that day.  Make arrangements with work and ask family members to do the same.  This is a big day!  (let us know if timing is going to be truly problematic and we will endeavor to support you of course)
• If possible, ensure that you have a vehicle prepared to drive through the parade.  Vehicles should be filled with family members from the same household only, and the graduate will want to be in the front passenger seat.  Decorate your vehicle as a graduate from Nicholson Catholic College.  If you have no vehicle or licensed driver available, please let me know via my school email or voicemail and we will make arrangements for you to have a walk-through time.
• Dress for the day!  I'm not saying that you have to dress up but wear what you would have been wearing under your grad gown if the province was allowing their use.  Remember that we are planning to take a full-length photo of you. And grads, when doing your hair, remember the grad cap!
• Talk at home about the roles of the people in the household who will be joining you for the parade.  You will need a driver, but we also will have some items to put in your trunk or backseat while you are having your picture taken.  Know whether the trunk pops open for contactless delivery, or if a family member is going to be needed to open the trunk for our volunteers. Ensure that family members can see you from their seats in the vehicle when you emerge for your photo.  (we will do our part to ensure that in setup, but I'm thinking about seating positions in the vehicle)
• We will do all the photos.  I know you may have your own cell phone clicking along the way, but please know that we are asking anyone who does not want their photos published to let me know directly through my email or voicemail.  That way, photos of the parade route, vehicles along the way, and all the formal graduate photos can be available to all NCC graduates so that you can download what you need or want and make up a full album of your graduation, containing not only your own pics but those of your fellow graduates.
• Plan a dinner with family.  This is a big day and as Christians we put great importance on the positive impact of sharing a meal together.  It's not about what you eat, but that you “break bread" with loved ones who are putting the Class of 2021 as the centre of attention for the day.
• Set a plan for watching the Video Celebration of Graduates.  It will “go live" at 7pm but will be available on YouTube also, so be sure to choose a time to start it when everyone is out of the kitchen and together in front of the screen.  If you have a smart TV, plan to cast on that so that everyone in the house can see and hear the celebration clearly.  Maybe keep the tissues close-by….

What else do you have to do before then?

• Work hard to get your last needed credit(s).
• Submit the last of your Community Service Hours if you are one of the 6 who still need to.
• Submit the EFT form if you have not done so.  Remember what I said before, that EVERYONE is walking away from graduation with a monetary award from the community that supports you (God bless them) and Electronic Funds Transfer is the quickest and easiest way to have that deposited. (The form was posted on the Guidance D2L page.)
• Enjoy the planning….No, this year's graduation does not look like what you thought it would but nothing has been quite the same for the past 16 months so we're asking you to focus on your blessings and set aside any frustrations so that you can truly enjoy being celebrated by the people who are so proud of you.
• Wait for more direction via emails from me, your proud Principal who is “graduating" with you.

Mrs. Gorrell​

Graduation Checklist:

• I have shared the details about Thursday's grad parade with the members of my household and we are all free for the time allocated to me by the first letter of my last name.  (Please note that if the graduate lives between two homes, then two cars may come through the parade but they must coordinate and be back-to-back vehicles so that all family members in both vehicles can see the graduate getting the grad photo taken…the school at the end of Alexander on Pine Street may be a good place to meet.)
• I am getting excited!
• I have plans to decorate my vehicle for the festivities which will include my last name on the front windshield so that it's visible to staff as I approach.
• My family is showing proud anticipation!
• I have thought about the easiest way to allow volunteers to put a grad package and a commemorative sign into the trunk of the vehicle. (and I know exactly where I'm going to display the sign when I get home)
• I'm proud of myself.
• I know what I'm wearing to the parade (may be as dressy or low-key as you would have worn if gowns were Ministry-permitted) and I have kept in mind that I will have an opportunity to don my grad cap and that I will need to exit the car by myself to join admin for a photo.  I understand that I'm the only one who can be out of the vehicle and that anyone who doesn't want their grad pics shared widespread will have contacted Mrs. Gorrell by Wednesday.
• I cannot wait for Thursday!
• I have completed the Electronic Funds Transfer form that was emailed out and is on the Guidance D2L page because I understand that every graduate is getting a monetary award. Wow!
• That increases the excitement!
• I have submitted the EFT form.  (filling it out is only half the task) 
  
• I can't believe I'm finished high school!!!
• After the parade I have plans for dinner with people who have supported me.
• I'm super pumped.
• I have asked the most tech-savvy person in my family to prepare for the watching of the video celebration either on the computer or casted to a Smart TV. I understand it's on YouTube and we can watch it over and over if we like.
• I may do that!!!  I'm psyched!
• When the day is over, the grad photos will all be uploaded so that I can choose the pics of my closest friends (heck, maybe everyone!) to make up a keepsake album. 
• This is going to be AWESOME!!!
  

​

June 16

Good afternoon NCC graduates and parents/guardians,

As you know, we are looking forward to celebrating our Class of 2021 on Thursday June 24^th.   We don't want to give away all the details, but here are some things you can be thinking about in the meantime….

• Ensure that you and your parents will be available for whatever time your family is slotted into the parade between 2:30 and 5:30 pm that day.  Make arrangements with work and ask family members to do the same.  This is a big day!  (let us know if timing is going to be truly problematic and we will endeavor to support you of course)
• If possible, ensure that you have a vehicle prepared to drive through the parade.  Vehicles should be filled with family members from the same household only, and the graduate will want to be in the front passenger seat.  Decorate your vehicle as a graduate from Nicholson Catholic College.  If you have no vehicle or licensed driver available, please let me know via my school email or voicemail and we will make arrangements for you to have a walk-through time.
• Dress for the day!  I'm not saying that you have to dress up but wear what you would have been wearing under your grad gown if the province was allowing their use.  Remember that we are planning to take a full-length photo of you. And grads, when doing your hair, remember the grad cap!
• Talk at home about the roles of the people in the household who will be joining you for the parade.  You will need a driver, but we also will have some items to put in your trunk or backseat while you are having your picture taken.  Know whether the trunk pops open for contactless delivery, or if a family member is going to be needed to open the trunk for our volunteers. Ensure that family members can see you from their seats in the vehicle when you emerge for your photo.  (we will do our part to ensure that in setup, but I'm thinking about seating positions in the vehicle)
• We will do all the photos.  I know you may have your own cell phone clicking along the way, but please know that we are asking anyone who does not want their photos published to let me know directly through my email or voicemail.  That way, photos of the parade route, vehicles along the way, and all the formal graduate photos can be available to all NCC graduates so that you can download what you need or want and make up a full album of your graduation, containing not only your own pics but those of your fellow graduates.
• Plan a dinner with family.  This is a big day and as Christians we put great importance on the positive impact of sharing a meal together.  It's not about what you eat, but that you “break bread" with loved ones who are putting the Class of 2021 as the centre of attention for the day.
• Set a plan for watching the Video Celebration of Graduates.  It will “go live" at 7pm but will be available on YouTube also, so be sure to choose a time to start it when everyone is out of the kitchen and together in front of the screen.  If you have a smart TV, plan to cast on that so that everyone in the house can see and hear the celebration clearly.  Maybe keep the tissues close-by….

What else do you have to do before then?

• Work hard to get your last needed credit(s).
• Submit the last of your Community Service Hours if you are one of the 6 who still need to.
• Submit the EFT form if you have not done so.  Remember what I said before, that EVERYONE is walking away from graduation with a monetary award from the community that supports you (God bless them) and Electronic Funds Transfer is the quickest and easiest way to have that deposited. (The form was posted on the Guidance D2L page.)
• Enjoy the planning….No, this year's graduation does not look like what you thought it would but nothing has been quite the same for the past 16 months so we're asking you to focus on your blessings and set aside any frustrations so that you can truly enjoy being celebrated by the people who are so proud of you.
• Wait for more direction via emails from me, your proud Principal who is “graduating" with you.

Mrs. Gorrell​

June 10

Dear Nicholson Graduates and Parents of Graduates,

I am writing today to congratulate each of our graduating students for the fine work accomplished over the past 4 years, with special accolades going out to students for navigating the challenges of the past 15 months.  I don’t think that any of us would have predicted that students would still be learning remotely, but Nicholson Crusaders have stayed the course and we are all extremely proud of them.

To that end, I would like to remind our graduating students and their families that we had you mark June 24^th on your calendar as Graduation Day.  Despite the restrictions that we must adhere to, we are excited to celebrate you fully as you move on from secondary school to the next phase of your life’s journey.

As you know from the Director’s communication, we will be celebrating the graduates on June 24^th in the evening with a virtual ceremony.  That will be a chance to hear from our invited guests, to have each graduate celebrated individually with a show of their personal accomplishments, to hear your valedictorian’s address, and of course we intend to add some personal touches to the experience.  That will go live at 7pm that evening but will be available after that for you to watch at a time that makes most sense for your family. 

Before we get to that formal ceremony though, our staff would all like a chance to see you again, and we also know that graduates will want a chance to don a grad cap and have a picture on the front steps of the school, flanked by your administrators at a safe distance.  So, we are planning a drive-by parade of graduates with a photo opportunity included.  More details will be coming to you next week about how that will be organized but, start thinking now about how your immediate family can decorate the vehicle, keeping the graduate in the front passenger seat.  (Of course we will make special arrangements for those without vehicles to join us safely also.)

Meanwhile, we will also be sending you home with not only your diploma and certificates, but every graduate is receiving at least one award, plus we will have a graduation sign ready for you to display on your lawn or balcony or in a window at home so that everyone who passes by will know that you are a Nicholson Catholic College graduate. 

Ending your high school experience with remote classes is not what we had envisioned for you, but I’m sure you all know that we will make June 24^th a most memorable celebration; there is nothing like graduating from Nicholson Catholic College so we intend to celebrate in style!!!

God bless you all,

Mrs. Gorrell​