Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

GRAVENHURST — Alexis Moreau was beaming, she so excited to get her Grade 12 diploma Wednesday.

Her proud brother Tyler got his last year and he challenged her.

And he was there at her side for her graduation ceremony at the Marriott hotel on the shore of Lake Muskoka cheering her on, along with her boyfriend Anthony Quesnel and her proud mom Nancy Moreau and her partner Jeremy Bradley.

Just putting on her gown and miter board over her bright red dress was a thrill capped by being handed the bouquet of flowers.

Alexis Moreau was among 20 adult students in the 2018 graduating class of the Gravenhurst Alternative Education and Training Centre, on Bethune Drive.

Hers was just one of the many incredible stories that ended another chapter in the long books of life.

No wonder the atmosphere around the ceremony, which culminated in them receiving their full high school diplomas, was a joyful occasion surrounded by beaming family, friends and teachers.

It’s a lot of hard work — blood, sweat and tears to arrive here literally and metaphorically — for all these grads.

The glorious morning began for all of them the same way, with an official individual lakeside portrait of each one, dressed head to toe in the traditional blue graduation gown and cap, with flowers for the ladies.

Many happy parents (some past grads from the program a few years or more than a decade ago) posed for pictures with their son or daughter as well. Like Megan Davies and her daughter, Holly Davies.

After a serious group photo, with the pine trees and peninsula behind them, and some with candid cheers, it was inside the convention room for the year’s rai·son d’ê·tre.

Trillium Lakelands District School Board director of education brought greetings and congratulations, along with trustee Louise Clodd and GAETC principal Traci Hubbert.

Joining them were the adult education teaching certificate (AETC) teachers Doug Ronson, Sarah Reain and Andrew Churchward and Melody Dart, who was the grad ceremony co-ordinator and MC.

GAETC is a finishing school for the grads who all had some early, usually high school, education, but who didn’t finish Grade 12 for various reasons of health or finances.

It is not just a high school equivalency certificate.

Most are in their 20s or early 30s.

To graduate high school, all students in Ontario need 30 course credits.

Using a points system, students are evaluated on their life and work skills and can be awarded 10 credits to add to their previously completed high school credits.

But every student must study their final four full credits at the school, one of several within the school board.

Two grads, Harmony Demers and Rachel McCoy were awarded Ontario Scholars for their high marks.

A number of bursaries were also handed out.

Demers and Bruce Ricard received ones from the Literacy Society of Muskoka.

Krystle Brown and Wes Firth were honoured by the Gravenhurst Rotary Club.

Brook Arnold, Cody Hebert and Tina Morton accepted OSSTF awards for outstanding effort.

Holly Davies received the CUPE perseverance award.

And Wesley Firth was presented the Central Lakes Planning Team award.

A much-deserved celebratory luncheon followed with more smiles and selfies.

THE CLASS OF 2018:

Brooke Arnold

Jason Beirs

Krystle Brown

Jody Collins

Holly Davies

Harmony Demers

Cheyenne Drinkwalter

Wesley Firth

Cory Hall

Cody Herbert

Nicole Hrubeniuk

Genna Kramer

Rachel McCoy

Blair Montague

Alexis Moreau Laskowski

Tina Morton

Sherry Noble

Cain Pedwell

Bruce Ricard

Darcy Tonge