Crocus Plains rolls out red carpet

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This article was published 27/06/2020 (2136 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School did their Grade 12 graduation ceremony on Friday different than anyone else in town.

Unlike École secondaire Neelin High School and Vincent Massey High School, which held their ceremonies at the Keystone Centre, Crocus Plains held its graduation event on campus.

Students lined up with their families outside in the school’s parking lot. When it came time for a student to accept their diploma, their group walked inside and strode the red carpet into the gym.

The students’ names were called along with their accomplishments and awards, and they received their diploma while loved ones followed them. Then they moved their cap’s tassel from one side to the other and left the school by the front door.

Various stations were set up all over the campus to give families a chance to take some final photos before they headed off.

One of the students moving on is student council president Ariana Rice, who is going to the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus in Kelowna, B.C. in September to study computer science.

“They’re No. 2 in the country for computer science,” she said. “And also, it’s just beautiful country and I’m just excited to go there and be closer to some of my family members.”

Not only is she going to one of the country’s top-ranked universities, she’s also arriving with a Presidential Scholars Award scholarship worth $30,000.

“It’s awarded based on a combination of academic achievement and stuff outside of the classroom,” Rice said, adding that she was in tears when she found out she was one of this year’s recipients.

Accompanying Rice on Friday were her parents, her brother and her three grandmothers.

“She has worked incredibly hard all through high school and especially this last semester,” mom Wendi Rice said. “Coronavirus couldn’t keep her down, she powered through all her (advanced placement) exams and did exceptionally well and now she’s off to UBC.”

A lasting legacy Rice is leaving behind at the school is the coding club she founded and hopes will continue on after her departure.

“We’re all about getting younger kids interested in STEM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) technology and stuff,” she said.

Rice was grateful to school staff for organizing Friday’s ceremony and thanked computer science teacher Sheryl Klimack, physics teacher Christopher Sarkonak and English teacher Allyson Wronowski, who she said all made a difference for her during her studies.

Although she’s not pursuing English further, she said Wronowski is “an awesome teacher.”

Talking to the Sun, Wronowski had many compliments in turn for her graduating pupil.

“She was so exceptionally humble and kind and passionate to learn,” Wronowski said. “Everything I gave her, she worked her hardest always. She challenged me to be a better teacher every day. She was just a wonderful student to have in class.”

This summer, Rice will be participating in a Google summer computer science program before she moves out west. She’s also hoping to get a summer job.

Later Friday, Rice’s family was planning on continuing the festivities at home with more family members and a celebratory cake.

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