After two pandemic years filled with uncertainty, graduation balls are back in force this summer, to the delight of the teenagers met by The Press.
Posted at 6:00 a.m.
The rain and bad weather on Thursday did not get the better of the enthusiasm of the group of friends made up of Audrey, Dylan and Aminatou. The three teenagers put on their best clothes for the occasion. “We were afraid that the ball would be canceled because of the pandemic,” admits Audrey.
Fortunately for their classmates and for them, the relaxation of sanitary measures allowed them to spend an unforgettable evening on a river boat moored in the Old Port.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Dylan (left), Audrey (center) and Aminatou (right) were thrilled to be able to experience a prom on a Bateau-Mouche.
As for Nathan Béland and Chloé Arcouette, two graduates of Saint-Henri high school, the festivities would have been in order, prom or not. “If it had been cancelled, we would have organized something else,” says the elegant duo, smiling.
Like many of their classmates, online classes had a negative effect on their motivation. “It was difficult not to see our friends in real time. When you’re at home, you don’t really feel like doing much,” they add.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
The duo made up of Nathan Béland and Chloé Arcouette were very excited to be able to party with their comrades, after two chaotic school years due to the pandemic.
Last year, the Quebec government only allowed proms to be held as of July 8, and under several conditions.
Jérôme Leclerc and Rosalie Boucher, a couple of graduates from Collège Notre-Dame, considered themselves very lucky to be able to party with their friends. “We’ve been locked up at home for two years. We want to have fun”, they say in a good mood.
Many balls will take place over the next few days. For some students, the festivities at the end of the school year began on Wednesday.
This is the case of Mathieu Gervais, freshly graduated from the Collège de Montréal, whose prom could not have been more festive.
It was very good, our ball took place on a magnificent boat. I didn’t expect people to dance so much. Other than a handful of teachers who wore masks, there were no restrictions.
Mathieu Gervais, graduate
Unlike the graduates of the two previous cohorts, Mathieu had the chance to live the experience of a real ball. “Last year, the ball was held at school, in small groups, in open classes. Graduation took place outdoors,” he recalls.
Naomi Geiser, who has also just completed her secondary education at the Collège de Montréal, feared that the ball would once again be canceled due to the pandemic.
Fortunately, the teenager was able to celebrate the end of her high school in the company of all her classmates, without physical distance. “I had made myself all beautiful, I felt like a princess! “, she rejoices.