A teary-eyed crowd cheered as Wilberforce Elementary School’s graduating class of 2022 collected their diplomas June 21 at the Robert McCausland Memorial Community Centre.
“After two long years of doing virtual [graduations] we’re here,” said trustee Gary Brohman.
He commended the class for its perseverance during the past years of online learning, separation from friends and cancelled extracurricular activities.
“Your dedication will carry you through high school and the adult world beyond,” he said. Teacher Jacob Findeis noticed students’ dedication too.
“These kids have kept going,” Findeis said. “They’ve been there every day, they keep trying, they bring a positive attitude. They’re going to take that gumption they’ve shown in the last years and the sky is the limit for this crew.”
He added that as well as being hard workers, the graduating class is filled with kind kids. “They’re really genuinely nice people,” he said. Findeis offered one piece of advice for the students, who will be moving on to high school.
“It’s okay not to know, it’s not okay to not try.”
Valedictorians Ruby Morrison and Daxton Underwood spoke of the tight-knit class history together, and their hope to find a little bit of Wilberforce at Hal High.
“Now we’re going to high school where we can find fun, activities and hopefully teachers like Mr. Findeis,” Morrison said.
