Last day of classes marks an end for a highly unusual school year

No more teachers, no more books and no more online learning or masks in classrooms as a highly unusual school year came to a close in many English-language schools on Wednesday.

For some, the end of the school year also brings a more permanent change. Bancroft principal Dorothy Ostrowicz said goodbye to her students as she prepared for retirement after 41 years in education.

“The days have been very bittersweet. Yes, they've bene coming by a lot to wish me well. I've been here 12 years and we have been through some challenging times,” she said.

It was a year few in the schools will ever forget.

“This is the first year I can that every day, these kids have wanted to be in school,” said grade four teacher Donna Perlin.

Over at Westmount High, a similar scene played out as kids said goodbye to their classmates and teachers. The graduating class was interviewed by faculty and then walked down a red carpet; a very different graduation ceremony after a very different year.

“This has certainly been the most stressful year of my career and I think it's been stressful for our students,” said social sciences teacher Robert Green. “Especially for our senior students who are used to having a lot of special things happen to them their senior year.”

“I feel like I missed out on a lot of Grade 11 trips and that kinds of stuff,” said student council president Rose Mintzberger. “Because there were fewer of us in class, we got to know a lot of new people. So I think it was a good experience for us in the end.”