High school graduation often puts a lot of pressure on students and their families to deal with the financial aspect of such a big celebration in a student’s life. To help ease the financial burden, New World Island Academy in Summerford and J. M. Olds Collegiate in Twillingate are partnering to start a "Grad Closet."

After seeing how successful the Grad Closet has been in other areas of the province, Guidance Counsellor Laura Gushue brought the idea to the two schools. The idea behind the Grad Closet is that any student needing or wishing to borrow a dress, suit, or accessories are able to take the items out for the weekend and return them for someone else to borrow. This is open for students who are graduating, and students who are attending any graduation in the area. When the student returns the item(s), they will be free for the next weekend to anyone who may want to borrow them.

The schools are currently accepting donations from surrounding communities and will make the items available to the students at the end of the month. The closet will be rotated between the two high schools on a weekly schedule. One of the many great things about this project is that it requires no fundraising and all items collected this year will be stored and available for years to come.

For more information or to make a donation, contact Ms. Gushue at New World Island Academy, 1-709-629-3412.