Notre Dame grads take the stage

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press

WORCESTER – Despite the coronavirus, Notre Dame Academy graduates had their graduation moment walking across the stage to receive their diploma. Because of the coronavirus, the graduates made the walk one at a time with only their family present.
The memories of graduation will be a little different for the young ladies who received their diplomas and got their photos taken at the school this week. The seniors were scheduled for separate 45-minute time slots, starting Tuesday, said Lisa Mancini, head of school. School staff welcomed the graduate and her family and explained the procedure. The graduate would walk across the auditorium stage, pick up her diploma and be photographed and videotaped. Her family members were invited to cheer.
Grads also picked up their awards, alumni pins and school banners while there. And there was time for photos on the grounds – by Penny Lynn Photography of Grafton and any cell phone pictures the family wanted to take.
It wasn’t your typical senior celebration, thanks to coronavirus restrictions on gatherings. But as the sun shone on the lush grass and trees Tuesday morning, graduates and their families seemed to be looking on the bright side.
“I’m just really grateful for all the faculty and Ms. Mancini, who’ve given us all these events and tried to make it as normal as possible,” said Lindsay Albright, who is heading to Simmons University in Boston to study social work. “We had our ‘beep day’” Friday, when seniors beep their horns and drive out of the school parking lot. In July, if it’s possible, there is to be a graduation ceremony, then a prom.
High school in general is challenging, but “being at a Catholic school we came together, especially as an all-girls school,” said Nana Asamoah-Pratt, another graduate. “Regarding the virus, I felt like we still had the connections and we were able to make do.”
“We’re pretty happy, even with the coronavirus,” said her mother, Phyllis Asamoah-Pratt. “They (the school staff) made their day special for them; it means a lot to the kids.”
Hailey Aucoin’s sister Natasha Aucoin was helping make her day special – by decorating a second mortarboard with the name of her university – Hofstra, on Long Island, where she hopes to study psychology or political science.

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