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grad in the COVID era

Armstrong council OK’s graduation parade

Jun 9, 2020 | 10:45 AM

Students graduating from Pleasant Valley Senior Secondary will be marching through the streets to celebrate.

Armstrong city council granted permission for a noon-day parade on June 15.

Mayor Chris Pieper admitted there was some initial reluctance to the plan. The written request was submitted to city council Monday from the graduating committee.

Council voted 5-2 in favour of the parade, with the mayor being one of the opposing votes.

“I personally voted against this as did one other councillor because it’s not sanctioned by the (North Okanagan-Shuswap) School District,” Pieper said. “It’s a non-school function and it’s a private function by the grad class.”

An earlier plan to hold a graduation ceremony at the Starlight Drive-in in Enderby was shot down after B.C.’s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, restricted gatherings to a total of 50 people.

Pieper said just under 100 students are graduating from PVSS.

He said the half-hour-long parade will leave the fairgrounds at 12 p.m. on June 15 and head down Patton Drive, past Len Wood Middle School and then through PVSS, onto Rosedale, through Smith Drive and back to the fairgrounds.

He said the RCMP was notified by the group who hired a private contractor for traffic control.

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