{"id":52133,"date":"2021-06-11T18:42:09","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T22:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/?p=52133"},"modified":"2021-12-06T14:58:22","modified_gmt":"2021-12-06T19:58:22","slug":"dr-strang-encourages-schools-to-steal-lrhs-grad-celebration-model","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/dr-strang-encourages-schools-to-steal-lrhs-grad-celebration-model\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Strang encourages schools to steal LRHS grad celebration model"},"content":{"rendered":"

A local group is working to recognize Liverpool Regional High School (LRHS) graduates.<\/p>\n

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, large gatherings are prohibited across Nova Scotia, including graduation ceremonies.<\/p>\n

Deborah Raddall is one of a group of volunteers who are working to find a way to allow graduates to gather together without breaking the public health orders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought, we have to do this so that, in the end we can say we did whatever we could to try and give our kids something,\u201d said Raddall.<\/p>\n

Schools have adjusted to allow students to receive their diplomas and awards at individually scheduled times.<\/p>\n

The students can be accompanied by up to four guests for the ten-minute ceremony.<\/p>\n

Raddall and her group are proposing to follow in the steps of last year\u2019s graduating class and hold a drive-by graduation celebration.<\/p>\n

She says using Queens Place Emera Centre again would allow the students to set up six feet apart while the community drives by and shows their support.<\/p>\n

Raddall says a letter submitted to public health through the department\u2019s website outlining their plan was met with a form-letter type rejection.<\/p>\n

But Friday morning, Raddall awoke to an e-mail from Nova Scotia\u2019s chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang.<\/p>\n

\"Dr

Dr Robert Strang discusses what safe graduation celebrations could look like in the second phase of COVID reopening. Photo Nova Scotia Government<\/p><\/div>\n

In it, he says under the current restrictions the gathering is not permitted.<\/p>\n

But once the province moves into Phase II of the COVID-19 reopening plan, which could be as soon as Wednesday, June 16, the ceremony can go ahead.<\/p>\n

In fact, during Friday\u2019s COVID-19 briefing, Dr. Strang pointed to the LRHS drive-by model as one other schools should consider.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunities will need to be creative and innovative again in celebrating their graduates. One example I\u2019ve heard is a drive-past celebration. Graduates can be sitting outside, properly distanced, while family and community members in their vehicles drive-by to honour the graduate\u2019s accomplishments. It\u2019s a great idea and I\u2019m sure the people who thought of it would be happy if you stole their idea,\u201d said Strang.<\/p>\n

Raddall is excited the drive-by idea has received the blessing of Nova Scotia\u2019s top doctor.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s optimistic provincial officials will announce phase II of the recovery will begin Wednesday and their group can go ahead with their plans but regardless, they\u2019re determined to provide some ceremony for the LRHS class of 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally where we\u2019re at is, we just have to move on and say, ok, if that doesn\u2019t work, let\u2019s go to Plan B,\u201d said Raddall. \u201cThere\u2019s 26 letters in the alphabet and we\u2019re not the give-y up kind of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reported by Ed Halverson\u00a0<\/strong>
\nE-mail:\u00a0edhalversonnews@gmail.com<\/a><\/strong>
\nTwitter: @edwardhalverson<\/strong><\/p>\n

To listen to the broadcast of this story, press play below.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A local group is working to recognize Liverpool Regional High School (LRHS) graduates. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, large gatherings are prohibited across Nova Scotia, including graduation ceremonies. Deborah Raddall is one of a group of volunteers who are working to find a way to allow graduates to gather together without breaking the public health orders.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":7722,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[57,218,221],"tags":[8090,924,458,8089,3169,7199],"radio":[],"origine":[274,279,278],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52133"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/119"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52133"},{"taxonomy":"radio","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/radio?post=52133"},{"taxonomy":"origine","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/origine?post=52133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}