High River's Notre Dame Collegiate made this year’s graduation a special occasion for their 62 graduates.

With the news that restrictions were easing, they decided to take on the ambitious endeavour of putting together a safe, in-person ceremony in only a few weeks.

Though the school is located in High River, the ceremony took place at the Pason Centennial Arena in Okotoks where they were able to safely follow public health guidelines regarding masking, social distancing and capacity restrictions.

Principal Jodi deKlerk experienced her first NDC graduation at the school as principal, and she is glad to be able to celebrate their achievements in person.

"They deserve it. They had no sports, and they had no extracurricular. And all those things were taken away from them in their last year. They deserve to have something given to them and something special, and so do their parents.

"Their parents have been so supportive this year, you know, shutdowns and quarantines and everything else. They have just been an amazing group of parents, and they deserve this."

Only two people from a student's family and friends were able to be on the main floor behind the students, with the rest spread across the seats surrounding the rink, to ensure social distancing throughout the ceremony.

Pre-recorded speeches were delivered on the screen.

Instead of reminiscing on the struggles of the past year, deKlerk is excited about a hopeful future.

"You could tell lots of hard stories, but I think the best story you can tell is that there is a story of hope, like throughout the whole year, no matter what else was going on. You have to keep hope, and hope is alive in all of my students and my families.

"And when we lost hope, we sought to find it. And if you can live your life looking for hope and for joy, the hardships become manageable because you work together."

The graduates crossed the stage for a photo with their principal with a short statement from each student being read to the audience as they crossed.

It was a day of firsts for NDC, with the graduation ceremony being live-streamed for the first time as well as parents receiving a special surprise.

As part of a new tradition, each student presented a rose to their parents, during which many hugs were exchanged.

After throwing their caps in the air, graduates joined their families and friends to celebrate.