This month hundreds of local students had good reason to celebrate. They dressed up in their finery, donned caps and gowns and marched proudly across the stage to get their high school diplomas.
Class valedictorians did their darnedest to capture the meaning of the event for their school’s graduation classes, their teachers and families. They reflected on both the achievements and the high jinx of 12 years of school. They cherished the friends they made as they achieved scholastic, extracurricular and volunteer milestones.
The graduates gave accolades to the teachers and coaches who have made a difference in their lives. There were many words of appreciation for fellow students and especially for their families who stood by them through thick and thin. They basked in the warm glow of achieving a milestone.
Some students acknowledged that today high school graduation is more of an expectation, and only the bottom rung on a ladder of achievement they hope to accomplish in the taller ladder of life.
Paul Kane high school valedictorian Nicolas Silver said 10 years from now graduation will not be the single greatest accomplishment; it will be just one of them. The list of achievements will be diverse, but “they all start right here, right now,” he said.
Indeed many graduates will have to go on to further training and education if they want to succeed. The Conference Board of Canada reported in 2013 that post secondary education is deemed essential for success in the labour market.
Well-educated and highly-skilled people make important contributions to business innovation, productivity and national economic performance, the report says.
Countries with more highly skilled workers have a competitive advantage in the global economy. Well-educated people are more actively engaged citizens, says the conference board report.
Many of our local graduates are well aware of the need for more education. Some have already enrolled in post-secondary education in pursuit of their chosen field. Others are taking a gap year as they ponder their choices.
These students are our hope for the future. They will be future inventors, citizens of the year, and astronauts. Many graduates will go on to become innovators in science, business and education. They may go on to be leaders in industry, health care or politics.
The world needs well-educated, engaged citizens if we are to make progress on solving many of the vexing issues including climate change, war, hunger, and disease.
Graduates are facing up to the challenges, if speeches from valedictorians are any indication.
“We’ll go out there, we’ll do great things, make our parents proud and have a blast the entire time,” said Kenny Schiewe, valedictorian for Sturgeon Composite.
To the graduating class of 2017, your hard work and dedication has brought you to this point. We salute your efforts and congratulate you on your accomplishment. Continue your pursuit of excellence and strive to be the best. The world is counting on you.
