Hilltop High School staff took to the streets to visit their 2020 graduates last week with decorated buses and blaring horns. Beep! Beep!

At this point, it would be redundant to say that COVID-19 has had an impact on how teachers teach and how students learn. Back in March, students at Hilltop High School attended classes for the last time on March 13 and have not been in front of their teachers in person since. Now that the year has ended, the 2020 graduates are finding themselves having to celebrate very differently. They cannot have a grand march with everyone dressed to the nines. They can’t fill the gymnasium with well-wishers, as they receive their diplomas, and they can’t attend a big celebratory event to ring in the next phase of their lives.

COVID-19 restrictions have removed the ability for large groups to come together, which eliminates having a big ceremony and being together. On June 26, graduates from Hilltop High School will be doing a toned-down march that removes the full gymnasium but still gives grads the attention they deserve. “The parents will be able to watch them individually walk across the stage. This is a year where nothing is normal, but at least we can let these graduates know that they are in our hearts, and that they matter, and that we are proud of all their accomplishments,” spoke Principal Brent Northcott.

 The Grad Committee, which generally would put together a significant event, came together a few weeks ago to figure out what they could do for their students. “The committee had an idea of putting signs in the front yard of the school. We planned to line the bus lane on graduation day and have students’ parade down the lane and see their sign.” He said that when they received a great deal from a local sign company, Vital Signs, they decided to get two of each sign. “They went above and beyond in getting the order ready for us. We can’t thank them enough.”

From there, the plan morphed into not only picking up a sign for each graduate’s front yard but also personally delivering them in a way that let the graduates know how special they are to their teachers and administrators. “This was a way that we could go to our graduates and show them how much we miss them, and how much we care about them,” he explained. “This was an opportunity for us to show them that their graduation is special even though we can’t do our normal ceremony.”

From there, the Grad Committee went to work to create a map of where graduates lived and find staff that would take part. On Thursday, June 18, the idea came to life as they boarded two school buses and split the town in two. One group took care of the downtown portion of the community while the other visited uptown grads. There is a good chance many residents heard the commotion as they gleefully honked their horns while driving from house to house. The Whitecourt Press hung out with the uptown crew for much of their route and witnessed the joy that it brought to everyone. Along with those on the bus, two staff were on their motorcycles, one of which was Science/Photography teacher Derek Schlosser. 

“Parents were thanking us for doing it and saying that it meant so much to them for us to give up our time to come out and meet them in person with a lawn sign and that it showed how much we care about their kids,” said Northcott. One parent, Billie Leigh Ann Wilson, said that she was brought to tears when she saw what the school had done for her son, Mason. “I was so happy, emotional and grateful. This year has been so crazy, and the kids have all lost so much, especially the graduates. Teachers and staff have gone above and beyond to help these kids succeed, and this parade was the icing on the cake.”

She said that she didn’t get to see the parade in person but that she cried when she got home and saw the sign. “Mason was pretty happy and said that he liked them showing up and congratulating him.” She added that, as a parent, she knows that this period has not been easy on the school staff and that she wants them all to understand how “forever grateful and humbled” she is by their “dedication and determination to push forward.” Wilson said that their hard work has been amazing.

“They made the best of a crazy time and have celebrated our graduates in such a fun, memorable way, that we will be talking about this for years to come.” She also had a personal message for one of her son’s teachers. “I want to send a huge shout out to Mrs. Keay for her huge heart. She has always believed in Mason and pushed him when he needed to be pushed. She made him believe in himself when he had doubts about his studies and was always there for support, no matter what.”

Principal Northcott echoed the same sentiments about the staff at Hilltop High School and said that he could not speak highly enough of the hard work and dedication the teachers put forward into making sure that learning continued for students. “The number of phone calls, emails and zoom meetings just shows how much our staff is dedicated to the success of our students.” Along with a yard sign with their picture on it, graduates received a swag bag that included their mortarboard (grad cap) and items with the Hilltop Grad logo on them. “Every year, Gillette donates razors to grads, so there was a razor in the bag as well,” he explained.

This year, Hilltop High School graduated 124 students. Each student personally received their sign regardless of how far away they lived in the area. County graduates, and those even further out, received theirs on Friday, June 19. “I wasn’t on the bus, but I was in my vehicle behind the bus, and I had a megaphone,” laughed Northcott. “I was congratulating all the graduates down the hill. It was awesome. Getting to see the grads and their parents come out. You could see that they felt like they mattered to us. The parents were crying, and the grads were crying. All happy tears, of course! It was a great way to end the year for our grads. We had so much fun!”