ESTEVAN — The Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS) is set to celebrate its graduating class of 2024 with a series of events on June 14 and 15.
The school will honour more than 170 students in a ceremony at Affinity Place, followed by a grand march.
"We're super excited that we're coming to the finale of the high school journey for … our Grade 12 students," said ECS principal James Jones. "We have approximately 170 graduating students this year that we're super excited to honour on Saturday, June 15."
This year's grad quote is "Embrace uncertainty, chase your passions, and let your curiosity be your compass."
The 2024 graduation ceremony will be held at Affinity Place, with doors opening to the public at 12:30 p.m. The ceremony will start at 2 p.m. and is expected to last around two hours.
"Our plans are coming together quite nicely to honour the graduating class of 2024," Jones added.
Following the ceremony, a grand march will take place roughly 40 minutes later, allowing students time to change into their gowns and tuxedos. The march will be held on the floor of Affinity Place, with a class photo scheduled at the courthouse at 6 p.m.
To accommodate the influx of attendees at both the graduation and the Energy City Ex. fair and rodeo, special parking arrangements have been made for June 15.
"I'm super happy that the City of Estevan and the Exhibition Association and the people that are running the fair came together, and we discussed some solutions to try to help alleviate some of the parking concerns. So, the Affinity parking lot is going to be barricaded off in the morning to make sure it is available for our graduates and their families," Jones explained.
Attendees will need to show proof of their graduation ticket to access the parking lot before the ceremony, after which the lot will be open to the public.
"We're just asking parents and students and families to plan in advance. We know that there's going to be some parking congestion, but we hope that we can all work together to make sure that both events here in the city go off without any problems and issues," Jones said.
The community will also have a chance to celebrate the graduates during the SMILE Services Parade on June 14. The parade opens the Energy City Ex and includes all graduates willing to join.
"The way it worked out, with the fair being on the same weekend, it was just easier to put the two together," said Lucinda Milford, who is one of the grad parents and is in charge of the parade committee. "We incorporated the grads into the fair parade, which I think is phenomenal because then more people actually get to see the graduates."
The parade will not require graduates to wear their formal attire, giving them the option to dress comfortably.
"The grads have the option to dress up in their grad attire or whatever they're comfortable in; it's not mandatory that they wear their gowns or their suits," Milford said. "They've all got their floats, and each is [responsible for] decorating their own."
"We're just joining in on the parade, so it actually is quite easy," she added, expressing appreciation for the SMILE Services' role in organizing the event.
"I think it's a good thing for the grads and for the community and the city to incorporate everything together."
Two weeks before the parade, Milford had about 130 graduates on the list to participate, with most floats carrying between eight to 12 students. She also expects some students to just bring their vehicles rather than trucks and trailers. Her son, who is graduating this year, was planning on driving his grandparents' truck, which he restored together with his father.
Reflecting on the graduating class, Jones highlighted their achievements in academics and extracurricular activities, noting the students' involvement in sports and the successful staging of the musical The Little Mermaid.
"[Graduates this year] are a ranging group of students that have achieved great excellence in academics, as well as in sports. We've had students compete at a provincial level in various sports. We've had a lot of academic and extracurricular success.
"We're very proud of our graduating class of 2024. They have left a positive mark on our building and in our community," Jones said. "We wish them nothing but success as they go on and pursue their future endeavours."
Our annual Salute to ECS Grads can be found in a B section in this week's Mercury.
