Graduating High School in Canada has special meaning. The experience, quite simply, puts the UK to shame. Yes, there was a ‘prom’ night for E when he left his UK secondary school, but we’re very quickly realising that one night out doth not a graduation maketh.
Today was the Artona experience. If you’ve come across Venture photography in the UK, you’ll be familiar with the kind of format that Artona use. But, today was all about Grad pics.
Although in the UK there was a year photo to leave with, things are different here. 4 rooms, awaited the Grad in training. First off, the white room for 4 casual shots. Next up, the sitting room, a little more formal, but still in casual clothing. The third room was for the year book shot. This is where the gown was donned for the first time. Finally, another formal setting for cap and gown shots.
It became really clear how special graduating is for High School students as this was just the beginning. There will be a short retreat coming up where the soon to be leavers get together to chat about their hopes, plans and aspirations. There’s also the gala dinner evening to which family and friends are invited to join in and share in the moment.
When we mentioned to one of the folks at Artona that this really didn’t happen in the UK, she was amazed and wondered what on earth the students that left High School would have to remind them of the experience. Our only response to that would be memories and a few certificates.
I’m sure there’ll be more to cover about graduation as the months roll by, but today’s first experience left me impressed. It’s a rite of passage, an important step in a young person’s life, iit should be celebrated and the graduate should feel good about the experience and more importantly, feel good about themselves.
