High school students who lost loved ones in N.S. mass shooting gather to graduate amid pandemic

The community around a Nova Scotia high school left grieving after the province's horrific mass shootingputtogether a graduation event on Friday allowing students to celebrate without risking the spread of COVID-19.

The idea for a drive-in graduation came from Jim Lorraine, whose daughter Eryn is in Grade 12 at Cobequid Educational Centre (CEC), which is about 40 kilometres east of Portapique, N.S., where theApril 18-19shooting rampage began.

Last month, Lorraine offered to host the event at his family's farm in Upper Onslow, N.S.

The June 26 ceremony paidtribute to Emily Tuck, who would have graduated from CEC this year but was killed in Portapique, one of the 22 victims who died during the shootings.

As with most graduation ceremonies, graduates were expected toarrive, take their places, and wait for their names to be called, alphabetically. But in this case, instead of sitting shoulder to shoulder with their peers, graduates waited in cars with their families, parked more than two metres away from each other.

Lorraine said he expected more than 90 per cent of the graduating class of 384 students to attend.

The school issueddiplomas to students in private ceremonies before the drive-in event, but students still walked across a stage, one at a time, andcollected a swag bag with gift certificates for meals at local restaurants.

Video of the procession wasprojected onto a screen, about 2.5 metres high by four metres wide, and broadcast for people to watch from home.

Coming together after tragedy

Jeannine Garrett's daughter Amelia is also part of CEC's graduating class. Amelia lost her father and stepmother, Sean McLeod and Alanna Jenkins, in the mass killing.

Garrett said the drive-in ceremony is important, because it will be the only opportunity for graduates to share their accomplishments with friends and classmates. When they collect their diplomas at the school, only immediate family can attend.

"They need to go out with a celebration, I think, especially this year after everything that's gone on with COVID and the tragedies in April and all of that. These kids need to be able to see each other, smile, congratulate each other and send each other off," Garrett told CBC's Mainstreet.

Clare Boudreau, a co-president of CEC's student council,said she's proud of her class for showing resiliency through the challenges of the pandemicand the recent tragedies that have befallen their community.

"The fact that we're still all here together for this graduation ceremony is really an inspiring thing," Boudreau said.

Mallory Priest, the otherco-president,said there is a "small sense of loss at not having that very traditional graduation," but she's grateful the class is able to come together at all.

Graduates leftafter everyonecrossed the stage, but returned later in the evening for a live DJ set and a fireworks show.

Lorraine said he expectedthe event will cost about$20,000. The community is raising money through a GoFundMe campaign.