Newmarket’s Fairy Lake Park to be the free outdoor space for its graduating Grade 8, 12 students

‘One small way we can help,’ says the mayor

Yorkregion.com
June 7, 2021
Dina Al-Shibeeb

Newmarket’s Mayor John Taylor said June 4 that his town will be offering a free outdoor ceremonial space to all Grade 8 and 12 students after acknowledging how it has been an “exceptionally challenging year for all students” this pandemic.

The free outdoor ceremonial space will be located at the Amphitheatre at Fairy Lake Park and will include a stage, sound system, on-site staff and limited seating in accordance with Public Health and Provincial Guidelines. Schools will be able to book ceremonies any time from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday.

“We want to show our support for our young people by offering a free outdoor ceremonial space to recognize their achievements,” said Taylor. “This is one small way we can help to bring some positivity and a ray of sunshine to our community, by recognizing the hard work and dedication of graduates of all ages.”

On June 2, the Province announced that all schools will continue remote learning for the remainder of the school year. It also said that Ontario is accelerating vaccinations to support a safer summer and return to in-person learning in September.

However, the province explained how Ontario students deserve a “positive conclusion to their academic journey, safely,” adding how the government will be allowing school boards to invite graduating students in elementary schools (by class) and secondary schools (by homeroom/quadmester class) to return to school in June for a short, outdoor celebration, where physical distancing is possible.

From his part, Taylor heeded the message, when he said, “Our goal is to make this as safe and as easy as possible for the schools to host in-person outdoor graduations, which is a major milestone that deserves to be celebrated.”

Interested schools can request a booking and more information by emailing recreation@newmarket.ca.