Final RSS graduation ceremony to focus on students
By Arlen MacLaine
This Friday, June 7, marks an important day for Rossland Secondary School as RSS hosts its final graduation ceremony in the school’s 61 year history. The graduating class has a full afternoon and evening of events planned to celebrate the completion of their education at RSS. There is a grad parade at 3pm, the ceremony itself begins at 5pm, and these are followed by a grand march. All events are open for public viewing.
There has usually been a strong contingent of Rossland residents in attendance at graduation ceremonies in years past. However, the public may have a harder time finding seats in the RSS auditorium this year. Although there may be more hype than usual surrounding this year’s graduation because of these circumstances, Principal Karen Lavender says the focus will be on the students.
“This ceremony is about the 38 graduates: this is their moment,” She said. When asked if there will be anything different about this year’s ceremony, Lavender responded that the ceremony will be conducted in the same fashion as in previous ceremonies. “We want to keep in the tradition of what we’ve done in the past,” she said.
This last graduating class also has the distinction of being the first class in the province to graduate from the blended learning program.
It is a bittersweet mood for teachers and staff. Principal Lavender noted that the teachers have worked hard to accommodate the changes involved with a blended learning program, and now many of them will be returning to a system they have worked for years. Despite these mixed feelings about moving on, it looks like no one will be left behind.
“None of the continuing teachers are losing their jobs,” Lavender said. Some are making the move down the hill, others requested transfers, but all teachers have been accommodated. As for Lavender, she is staying and will be the principal of the k-9 school.
The RSS auditorium will be a hot ticket on Friday, as the community recognizes the final graduating class of Rossland Secondary and celebrates their hard work and achievements. “It will be a packed gym,” Lavender said. “For some community members, it will be nostalgic.”
