Anyone can help our Comp grads celebrate safely this year
After the grads don their cap and gown, it’s time to party, and to make sure that it’s a safe celebration, more volunteers are needed for Safegrad.
“(Safegrad is) the celebration for the grads at the high school. It is a safe celebration, so none of the grads will be allowed to drive, only people who are 18 plus will be allowed to drink, so it provides a safe place for them to celebrate, and it’s all run by volunteers,” said Carla Vanwart, Co-chair of this year’s Safegrad Committee.
The idea behind the event is to allow our grads to have a place to celebrate, and everyone gets home safely at the end of the night.
“It’s pretty fun. We do have some inflatable-type things, where there’s inflatable jousting. There are also casino activities where the grads get to participate in, like blackjack and things like that, and they earn tickets for auction prizes. We also have some karaoke. There are a few photo booths,” said Vanwart.
She also mentioned that there are temporary tattoos and a DJ with a dance floor, so that everyone has something they are likely to enjoy.
Vanwart explained that this is a big milestone for the grads and it’s important for them to take time to celebrate.
“And, to be able to not have to worry about getting to somewhere and then getting home safely, it is just a stress-free celebration for them to mark this milestone in their lives,” she said.
However, to put on an event like this every year, the Safegrad committee needs volunteers who can help make the magic happen.
“We started with 584 open spots. We’re currently at 73 per cent full, which is excellent, but there are a few holes in there, so we are really looking for some help,” said Vanwart.
Specifically, they need help with the dinner portion of the event as parents of the graduates attend this event as well and cannot at the same time be volunteering.
“Another couple of spots that need some help would be the setup, so changing over from convocation to the dinner, there’s a big empty spot there. We do get some volunteer firefighters to come out and help us with that as well, but we do need some extra people there. The other (area we need some volunteers for) would be during convocation, just to monitor some of the doors and make sure that people are staying in the areas where we need them to stay, so that they’re not interrupting the actual convocation,” said Vanwart.
Anyone from the community can volunteer, but in particular, if you are a grandparent or future grad parent for an upcoming school year, it’s nice to volunteer before your grad walks so that you can learn the ropes.
“Last year was actually my first year participating in the volunteering side of things for grad, and my first graduate is (walking) this year. It was interesting to see how everything is run for this year, so that I know what to expect when I get there with my own grad. All those parents who have kids in the high school from Grades 9 to 11, they are excellent volunteers, and it’s like I said, it’s interesting for them to see how it’s all run. I also have the grandparents of my grad coming out to volunteer, so that they can see their grandchild all dressed up and looking nice,” said Vanwart.
If you would like to sign up for a slot, you can check out https://lsrcssgrad.my.canva.site/#volunteer-for-safe-grad for instructions on how to sign up to volunteer, as well as a link to the volunteer sign-up.
Vanwart hopes the community can come together to fill up the last volunteer slots that they need.
“Come and see how everything is done, and what a huge event this is, and how it all comes together only with the help of volunteers. I’ve seen people who come back that have no connection to the grads of 2026 but they’re out there and have been out there for 10, 15, 20 years. They come back every year just to be a part of it. It is such an exciting time in these kids’ lives, and to be a part of that is so fun,” she said.
