Nick Carnelley was selected to deliver the Student Address for the Class of 2021 at Carman Collegiate. He delivered that speech from the school's soccer field earlier this week.

44 students graduated from Carman Collegtiate on Monday. Karen Kucharsky was the winner of the Governor General's Award. Fellow graduates and families watched from their vehicles as students walked across stage to accept their diplomas then headed back into their cars to watch the rest of the ceremony, and listen via radio frequency. In his message to the graduating class, Carnelley says he pointed out the things they missed out on in their senior year because of Covid, but at the same time did his best to make it optimistic.

"I kind of outlined the fact that we're hopefully, fingers crossed, going to be the only ever drive-in graduation in the history of Carman Collegiate. As well, pointing how resilient our graduating class has been with having no extra curriculars and no interaction with people outside of classes. And I think it's really important to be credited for that."

Carnelley says he was involved in almost all of the school's sports teams, and going into their senior year, they were doing very well, with their basketball team set to hopefully be another championship team. In general, he says he enjoyed the school's extra curriculars, adding he was also part of the school's band and was able to go on a number of trips to Winnipeg to play.

"That was part of my message too in my speech," added Carnelley. "We had such a talented grad class this year between all of our athletes and our actors that preformed in our drama productions, and our musicians, I just felt the need to give everyone a shout out, because our grad class is so talented."

Principal Jeff Latimer described the class of 2021 as a close group with diverse talents. He says there is some excellent young athletes, some super academic kids, some super hands on kids that have excelled in industrial arts and home economics, "they've just all done really, really well. And above all, they treat each other really, really well, and all really seem to get along, and they're a tight-knit group for sure."

Latimer says Doyle's Funeral Home lent them an outdoor speaker system, and radio transmission equipment enabling the people in their vehicles to hear the ceremony. He says other than the graduation being outside and in vehicles, it resembled a traditional grad ceremony.