Graduation can be a difficult time for many students as they say goodbye to their best friends and move into adulthood.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, students all around Ireland were unable to graduate in person from their schools.
Sixth year pupils from St. Mary's Secondary School, Ballina, Co Mayo decided to celebrate their graduation virtually, performing 'Time to Say Goodbye' to close the ceremony.
A post on the school's Facebook page said: "Time to Say Goodbye...a virtual performance by some of our 6th year music students which closed our very moving and emotional online Graduation ceremony this evening (thanks to James Hackett for sound engineering and video editing this song!).
"Thank you to all involved in tonight's ceremony and congratulations to our brave, strong and wonderful class of 2020."
The school's music teacher, Regina Deacy, told the Irish Mirror: "Because it was not possible to have our Graduation Ceremony with our Leaving Cert students and their families due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our school thought it was important to mark the occasion in some way for our girls, so we decided to host a 'virtual' Graduation ceremony.
"We created a live event on our school 'Teams' software and streamed the event to students and their families to watch in their homes.
"Over the past few weeks, Leaving Cert students were busy sending in videos of themselves doing readings, prayers, reflections, singing hymns and playing music.
"We posted out a gown, hat and certificate to each of them. They sent back fabulous photos in their uniform and gowns which we collated into a large Graduation class photo.
"Principal Mr Robert O Reilly, the producer of the event compiled the pre-recorded contributions of the students into a moving ceremony.
"The final roll call was read live as was the Principal's address and the student speech.
"This song 'Time to Say Goodbye' closed the ceremony. These sixth year singers had been rehearsing the piece for the practical section of their Leaving Cert Music exam which didn't go ahead with school closures.
"I thought as their music teacher that it would be nice for them to sing it together as a choir at this online Graduation ceremony one last time even if it was virtually!
"In the last two weeks, they all recorded their individual parts at home and sent in their videos which was engineered and complied by another Leaving cert student James Hackett in St Muredach's College in the town."
