Trustee Gary Brohman said he has attended countless graduations over the years, but always finds the one for Alternate Education (Alt Ed) special.
“I use the word perseverance,” he told this year’s graduating class of 22 students.
As a young teacher coming to Haliburton, Brohman said he was mentored by education giant, J.D. Hodgson, who told him every child learned at a different pace, and different time, so “don’t be too hard on them.”
In the case of adult ed, the gowned students chose an alternative education path that would lead them to the greatest success – and last Wednesday (June 25) marked the milestone with a celebration at McKeck’s in Haliburton.
Brohman urged grads to celebrate their victories, especially their graduation.
He went on to honour administrative head, Lori Sargent, who is retiring, saying, “she’s as good as it gets.” She will be replaced by Hal High vice principal Martin Gage.
Principal Katie Ferguson said the grads should be proud of themselves.
“What you’ve accomplished takes heart, focus and belief in your own potential.” She said the crop was resilient, not giving up when life threw obstacles in their way. “You don’t give up. You adapted. You showed up and you pushed through. You belong here. You are in this moment.”
Ferguson added regardless of what they do next, the world needed “their grit, unique perspectives and unstoppable spirits.”
Brandee Fortin gave the graduate address, commenting on how she was finishing high school at the age of 45. She said learning had no age limit, and that it is never too late to keep going, growing, and reaching goals. She is now headed towards more education and then a personal support worker (PSW) career.
She told grads to keep believing in themselves and keep moving forward – even when life takes longer than expected.
Sargent said while a small graduating class locally, the School of Alternate Education in TLDSB had more than 150 graduates, with its online virtual program having another 100 graduates.
She added, “I know what we do is sometimes a mystery to our community. We have a variety of options for students. For example, Haliburton County Huskies hockey players attended our centre taking academic courses so they could get to their practices and work around their away games. We have co-op (when students have part-time and full-time jobs they can keep getting paid and count their hours), and apprenticeship programs. We offer online and in-class courses, and we administer the Jr. and Sr. PLAR program (mature credit/equivalencies/assessments) for those turning 18 and older.”
Graduates: Kaeden Barnett; Chanel Bowman; Braxton Cooper; Gregory Daniel; Hailey Davison; Chase Del Colombo; Brandee Fortin; Chloe Forggett; Jordyn Greer; Emma Hewitt; Hannah Kehoe; Cody Keller; Kayla MacDonald; Brock Mackie; Matthias Malette; Eric Mallett; Charles Mulley; Clare Phippen; Dominic Smith; Jazmin Smith; Matthew Tucker and Evan Wheeler.
