Even though the world is going through a significant transition, there are still many things to celebrate and find joy in. Each year, many Grade 12 students look forward to walking the stage, attending a banquet and having a celebration to mark the beginning of their journey into adulthood. Unfortunately, graduation plans could not move forward due to Alberta Health Services' precautions and regulations, but that did not stop Synergy from finding a way to make graduation a little more memorable for our amazing Youth Encouraging Lasting Leadership (YELL) Youth Council members and volunteers who graduated this year.
Synergy has been blessed with the support of local youth leadership volunteers from the very beginning of its operations, and could not do what it does without them. Many amazing volunteers graduated from Grade 12 this year, and Synergy knew it needed to celebrate their achievements.
Synergy planned a creative and fun way to show its appreciation to these grads with a parade. This allowed everyone to stay safe while celebrating.
Parents of the grads were contacted and sworn to secrecy to ensure the arrival of the parade was a surprise. Synergy's staff, mentors and the RCMP worked together to decorate their vehicles and make huge signs to impress the graduates. Many of Synergy's program participants dropped off cards and messages to be given to each of the grads as a reminder of their positive impact on the community's youth.
With sirens ablaze, the parade made its way to the homes of five graduates with flowers and swag bags in hand. Each graduate was shocked by Synergy's arrival, and reacted with smiles and bewildered eyes.
This short and sweet parade was able to bring them a bit of the magic they expected from graduation. Many said “they had no idea” the parade was coming, while others couldn’t “believe the team did this all this just for them.”
Synergy was able to bring a few minutes of joy to their graduates and their families and would like to share their accomplishments with the community. Congratulations to Shelby, Josh, Nav, Keeland and Ainsley on their diplomas. We hope to see you again soon and cannot wait to see what you each achieve.
