In a flurry of ties, brightly colored gowns and mortarboards, Ponoka Outreach School’s 25 graduates have moved on to the next chapter of their lives.
A celebratory First Nations culture Round Dance was also held during the ceremony this year to honour the graduates. The graduation was held May 29 at the Kinsmen Community Centre.
Accompanied by drums symbolizing a human’s beating heart, the dance was held to celebrate the heart and drive of the graduates who complete their high school education, says principal Scott Lewis.
“If you look around the room, you’re going to see a room full of young people who have overcome some incredible obstacles,” said Lewis.
This year’s class chose the theme Be a Champion and in the wake of their schooling that is what they have achieved on the many plains of their lives. “Part of being a champion is there are no such things as speed bumps in your lives, you just keep going and you make it happen . . . they truly, truly are champions,” Lewis said.
Although Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Rod Fox had to leave for another engagement before he was able to give his speech, he had Ponoka Wolf Creek Public Schools trustee Lorrie Jess express his pride in his stead.
“Today you’re moving forward into the next phase of your life,” said Jess on behalf of Fox. “In the future you will look back at these last 13 years and you will be able to understand how important the groundwork of these years really was.”
While building their own foundation for the future, Fox’s speech told the students that what they learned from each other was just as important as what they learned from themselves and classroom lessons. “These all have now come together as you move into adulthood and the next chapter of your life.”
In her own speech, Jess spoke to the graduates about the opportunities that will be available with the lifelong passport they were about to receive: their diplomas. “Congratulations on earning your high school diploma you should be very proud of the hard work you’ve put in . . . your diploma will open many doors and it also means a future of endless possibilities.”
On behalf of the graduating class, expressing thanks to all who supported them on their journeys through high school were Sarah Sommerfeld and Jenifer King.
“We’re here today because of the dedication of our parents, guardians and friends. Without their support we could not have succeeded,” said Sommerfeld.
“Thank you for pushing us to do our best to get where we are now. From this day forward, we will be going our separate ways and we will be moving on with our lives,” King added.
She went on to recognize that some students would go on to post secondary schools and others would immediately enter the workforce. While it may be “scary” for the recent graduates and hard on parents and guardians to watch the fledglings strike out on their own, King has no doubt the former students will excel wherever they go.
“We will be taking the skills and knowledge that you guys have taught us and we will be putting them to use,” said King.
“We now see how much y’all have been there for us throughout our years of growing up,” Sommerfeld added.
Also giving thanks to the school’s staff were graduates Josh Crier and Justice Ermineskin. “We as the graduates of the Ponoka Outreach School would like to thank the staff for helping us throughout the school year, and supporting us,” said Ermineskin.