Bathurst High School students rehearse a routine to be performed Sunday evening at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre in Bathurst, N.B. (CBC)

Parents, classmates and residents of Bathurst, N.B., paid tribute Sunday evening to the seven students who died five months ago on their way home from a basketball game in Moncton.

The parents of the deceased students — five of whom would have graduated from high school this month — were presented with their diplomas at the Celebration of the Spirit ceremony at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre.

Those in attendance also paid special tribute to Elizabeth Lord, a teacher at Terry Fox Elementary School who was also killed in the January accident when a van carrying team members collided with a truck.

Her husband Wayne Lord, who was also the boys' coach and accepted the award on his wife's behalf, told the audience, "the girls and I are deeply moved [and] eternally thankful."

The dance troupe Stomp helped choreograph two routines that were performed by some of the Bathurst High School students and also performed at the ceremony.

"After all they've been through, it's really amazing to watch them take care of each other," said Stomp performer Dashiell Eaves.

School district officials said they felt it was important to do something special at the end of the school year to remember the students, but to keep it separate from the actual graduation ceremony.

"We really wanted to end the year on as positive a note as possible," school district superintendent John McLaughlin said.

With files from the Canadian Press