Kelowna private school grads each get $500 anonymous gift

When Lance and Tammy Torgerson announced they would offer $500 to every Kelowna graduate — a $1 million gift spread among 2,000 students — they said they hoped it would inspire others to follow their lead. 

That's exactly what happened at a Kelowna private school, Studio9 Independent School of the Arts.

READ MORE: Every Grade 12 student in Central Okanagan school district getting $500

“COVID-19 changed the graduates’ performance opportunities because they normally get to be in front of large live audiences as they ply their theatre, music, dance and poetry skills in their pinnacle year at Studio9,” states a Studio9 news release.

While the school was able to hold a graduation ceremony, the students didn’t get to have a traditional graduation ball and other social events.

READ MORE: Donors of $1 million to Central Okanagan Grade 12 students revealed

“The donor just felt the grads, as well as other students, have endured some strange and chaotic times in their lives,” the release states. “They felt that it was amazing that students got creative with streamed and video-on-demand performance events. They wanted to reward the great effort and creativity, while enduring all that COVID-19 has brought us.”

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