Orillia Secondary School is set to welcome students who graduated during the COVID-19 pandemic back for a special celebration.
A homecoming May 17 is due, in part, to a pledge from principal Peter Bowman to students of the classes of 2020 and 2021. He told students who missed out on their prom they would be remembered and celebrated when the time was right.
The casual celebration will feature light refreshments, alumni basketball and volleyball games, a DJ, and a photo booth.
“We are hoping that the turnout is great,” said David Cahill, a teacher at the school who is helping to organize the event. “These kids got robbed of having a prom and it’s important that we do this for them.”
Prom is something students spend four years working toward, which is why it’s important for the school to do something special for those who missed out, Cahill says.
“Some of the kids had no senior experience in high school at all,” he said. “They didn’t get the experience of being seniors, being leaders, and celebrating their accomplishments with grad and prom.”
There are about 400 students from 2020 and 2021 who are invited to the event, along with their family members and friends.
“They are super-excited,” Cahill said. “It’s going to be really great.”
Every department in the school has been pitching in for months to make the event a success.
“The teachers are really interested in attending to talk with some of the students they taught and really only got to know online,” Cahill said. “We are all really excited to be able to see these kids again.”
Those who graduated from Orillia Secondary School in 2020 or 2021 can register for the event here.
