Avalon Monroe, a 2020 Temescal Canyon graduate, poses in front of the car that she will be riding in during the Canyon Lake 2020 Graduates Congratulations Parade. The Family Matters Club parade commences tomorrow (Saturday) evening at 6:00 p.m. and will take place simultaneously at four different routes within the community of Canyon Lake to honor its graduates. Photo courtesy of Shawna Bowen.
Grad parade tomorrow
Avalon Monroe, a 2020 Temescal Canyon graduate, poses in front of the car that she will be riding in during the Canyon Lake 2020 Graduates Congratulations Parade. The Family Matters Club parade commences tomorrow (Saturday) evening at 6:00 p.m. and will take place simultaneously at four different routes within the community of Canyon Lake to honor its graduates. Photo courtesy of Shawna Bowen.
At a time that most high school and college graduates would be turning in term papers or finishing final exams and then taking a huge sigh of relief, graduates this year are wrapping up their education a bit disappointed. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the standard pomp and circumstance that typically marks the end of a graduate’s long educational journey is missing.
Thanks to the Canyon Lake Family Matters Club, though, Canyon Lake graduates are receiving some encouragement to bring smiles to their faces. Graduates are being “adopted” by fellow Canyon Lakers and are also participating in a graduate parade which will be held tomorrow throughout the community.
The club promoted for the past several weeks the “adoption” of Canyon Lake’s graduates. Seniors throughout the lake were volunteered by their parents and then local residents volunteered to ‘adopt’ one or more seniors and then give them gifts, notes or anything of encouragement and support. Many Canyon Lake seniors have recently been recipients of the club’s adoption program.
Signs were put out on the front lawns of seniors throughout the lake with encouraging notes pinned to them and oftentimes with a little cash donation.
Jacob Bassett was one of the lucky Canyon Lake graduates who was adopted. Jacob is graduating from Paloma Valley High School and plans on attending UCR’s School of Theater, Film and Digital Production. He explained that not having regular classes for much of this year had difficulties. Aside from missing his friends, learning calculus was the most challenging, he said. But he enjoyed some virtual calculus classes through Google Meet. Jacob thought the gift left for him was “pretty cool.”
Mirabella Smith was also a fortunate Canyon Lake graduate who was adopted through the club’s program. Mirabella is graduating from Temescal Canyon High School this week and plans on attending Princeton in the fall. She wants to major in Political Science and eventually work to change legislation in order to combat inequality. Mirabella explained that she is disappointed in missing so many events that she had seen other seniors before her celebrate.
“When I found out I would be missing what I had been looking forward to since kindergarten,” Mirabella said, “it was kind of a hit.” She said what she will miss most is the Senior Walk Out Rally. She said that during the rally, seniors put on their caps and walk out of the gym and then come back to say goodbye to their friends and teachers. After the rally they sign yearbooks and have a luau.
Mirabella was very involved at TCHS. She was in ASB, the debate team, president of the LGBTQ Club and even more. She had many friends and teachers to bid farewell to.
She said the gifts and notes really did encourage her despite all of the losses she has recently experienced because of the COVID-19 quarantine.
“It’s been really awesome to know that so many people in the community care,” she said. “It has made me feel appreciated and acknowledged.”
Today is the day that many graduates across the country would normally be walking in their caps and gowns to receive their diplomas. On Tuesday, the Lake Elsinore Unified School District presented four separate virtual commencement ceremonies for each of its high schools. Links are available on the LEUSD website to each school’s commencement presentation.
The Family Matters Club will be adding to the fun of graduation again with the Class of 2020 Congratulations Parade which will be held tomorrow, Saturday, June 6 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The event is for graduating high school and college students who live in Canyon Lake.
Parade participants will drive or be driven through the main streets of Canyon Lake in decorated cars. Some will even be in classic cars from the Cars Club. Spectators are encouraged to come out to cheer them on.
Spectators can line the streets in front of their homes, practicing safe distancing, and can wave, cheer, have signs or other decor to salute the students as they drive by.
To break up the parade into manageable distances, the club has set up four different routes. Grads can choose the one that starts or ends closest to their house or choose whatever route they prefer. The four routes are: #1 (From Indian Beach to East Port), #2 (From East Port to Holiday Harbor, #3 (From the Lodge to the Campground) and #4 (From the Campground to the Lodge).
Anonymous gifts and encouraging notes like this were left on some Canyon Lake graduates’ front lawns. As part of the Family Matters Club’s Adopt a Senior program, many graduates around the lake received surprise tokens of appreciation and acknowledgement from their neighbors. With COVID-19 restrictions in place, typical graduation celebrations were canceled.
The parade is for the high school and college graduates whose families reside in Canyon Lake. The club’s Shawna Bowen said the club will not be calling anyone into the gates.