In June, thousands of students will make important transitions as they complete post-secondary studies, high school, middle grade, and even kindergarten. However, due to COVID-19 those students will not be able to make the ceremonial walk across a stage or celebrate these milestones with their circle of friends and family. Instead, celebrations will be held in the students’ homes, if they are celebrated at all.
It is Andrea Gillespie’s goal to make something special happen for these students. She sent an email and a tweet to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking if he and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, would consider giving Canadian graduates a national commencement address this spring.
“Obama is doing a national commencement in the United States and I thought since Trudeau has been doing such a great job spreading positivity during COVID, I thought it would be amazing for him to do a national commencement for high school and university graduates, Grade 8s and even senior kindergarteners,” Gillespie said.
Gillespie has been an educator for 32 years. She worked as a principal in Huntsville, superintendent at TLDSB, and was seconded in 2018 to the Ministry of Education where she worked in student achievement as a field team leader.
She is also the mother of Alexis Berry, a university student who will be graduating from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Conflict Studies and Human Rights this year.
“Their June 8 commencement was cancelled and that was supposed to be held at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa,” Gillespie said. She posted Berry’s grad photo on Facebook and has received numerous messages of congratulations and encouragement but would like something more unique for her daughter in these unique times.
Since she sent out the tweet on May 5, it has been retweeted over 250 times.
“Lots of people are looking for messages of hope and optimism,” Gillespie said, adding many university graduates are facing an uncertain future with the economic conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
She is hoping Sophie Grégoire Trudeau would add to the speech as well since she has done such amazing work with women.
Gillespie and her family have been avid watchers of what they nicknamed JTtv, Trudeau’s daily address to the nation. “I was touched the first time Trudeau talked directly to youth and children,” she said.
As of publication time, Gillespie had not heard from the PM’s office, but is hoping that she will and that Trudeau will do something very Canadian for this year’s grads.
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Sharon Stahls says
Andrea is a leader in many ways and always thinks of others. What an Awesome idea she has come up with to honour all Canadian Graduates this year. Come o JT, don’t let us down.
Retired Proud Principal Sharon Stahls 👍
Mary Spring says
Great idea Andrea. This can happen. The students deserve this recognition.
Madeline Humphreys says
What a terrific idea Andrea! It seems so unfair that after so many years of hard work and accomplishment deserving students are going to miss the prize at the end. ( not to mention the party).
Martha Lapp says
This is a wonderful idea, and a great example of Andrea’s continued leadership in education.
Congratulations Alexis!!
Rob Millman says
What can I say? Pierre would have done it; in all likelihood without Margaret. This couple has always represented Canada with intelligence and class. It’s time to step up to the plate once more: Can you imagine missing Prom?
Emily Salinger says
Congratulations Ms Gillespie, to you and your daughter. I agree, having the Trudeaus deliver a national commencement address would be wonderful! Especially to see Mrs Trudeau in good spirits again after recovering from covid-19. She has a new podcast about mental health, and the speech he gave to N.Y.U. a few years back was very good. However, I think Mr and Mrs Trudeau are sadly having to be more guarded now than they previously were, because there are a lot of deranged haters who’ve made an obsession out of sniping and spewing bile at everything the Prime Minister and/or members of his family say or do.
The reactions to his Mother’s Day tweet and the kids’ homework hashtag just this past weekend were disturbing examples of this. Not to mention the responses to Mrs Trudeau’s illness, and the Prime Minister’s ailing mother surviving a house fire a few weeks ago. Some people are just awful. I don’t even bother reading his reply column anymore, it’s so bad.
Mr and Mrs Obama are no longer in office, and have a bit more degree of flexibility even despite the venom that pours out their way. Same for Mr and Mrs Clinton, and Mr and Mrs Carter. But this Prime Minister unfortunately is held to such an extreme level of scrutiny, and generates such outsize reaction just for existing, that I don’t think was the case for any other PM or party leader. Not even his father.
That being said, Mr Trudeau seems to be the type who tends to ignore the haters, so who knows, maybe there will be a surprise. If Ms Gillespie is reading this, I recommend sending a cc of that message to Katie Telford, the PMO chief of staff, and Rob Silver, a sports broadcaster and Ms Telford’s husband who is active on Twitter. She could also try contacting Liberal Party director, Suzanne Cowan. It’s possible or even likely that the Prime Minister’s own social media has gone unattended because the poor staffers in the PMO comms department need a break from sifting through it. And maybe some digital PPE…