Group 1: The Grade 8 graduates from Cobden District Public School are, front row from left, Renie Takken, Mckoel Patterson, Hayley Stewart, Penny Gordon and Sydney Ferguson. Back row from left, Brent Ready, Tom Petermann, Travis Roy, Tim Petermann, Joel Baycoft and Andrew Lemieux.
Group 2: The Grade 8 graduates from Cobden District Public School are, back row from left, Colin Law, Eryka Lariviere, Mary Finan, Mackenzie Bryanton, Kayleigh Banks and Justin Baycroft. Front row from left, Evan Bourque, Cassie Brenner, Ciera Bennett, Michelle Coleman and Darien Kenny.
Group 3: The Grade 8 graduates from Cobden District Public School are, front row from left, Kiannah Barr, Katie Mick, Elyza Wren, Paige Miller and Leigha Bennett. Back row from left, Dustin rose, Dylan Pederson, Austin Stewart, Keegan Ostroskie, Connor Robinson, Wesley Peever, Devan Punt and Aedan Hodgins.
by HAYLEY STEWART
Valedictorian
Teachers, family, friends and fellow grade 8 survivors. I am honoured to be speaking on behalf of my fellow classmates tonight.
First off, if you see Kiannah running and screaming toward the exit, don’t panic – it’s only because there is a bat in the gym. But lucky for us we have Penny. I am sure she has incorporated a net into her grad dress and will save us all!!
CDPS has been our home for the past 10 years. It seems like only yesterday we were getting off the bus and heading off to kindergarten. I don’t know about the rest of you but I sure was nervous. Probably even peed a little. I remember getting off the bus and being greeted by Mrs. Bell. Her smile and gentle manner made me feel safe and welcome. Kindergarten was a time to experience new things and make new friends. It was where I met my best friend and we are still best friends today. With every year we became a little more confident and independent. The teachers at CDPS have made this journey not only rewarding but maybe even a little enjoyable. One thing is for certain – we would not be where we are today without their help and support along the way. The enormous amount of new knowledge that we hold today is credit that we owe to all of our teachers who taught us curriculum inside the classroom and life lessons outside of it.
Mr. Grady taught us that there really are only two real plays in life. Romeo and Juliet and put the darn ball in the basket.
Thank you to Mr. Covell and Madame Sarah for facilitating the student council, giving us a voice inside the school and the chance to make a difference.
Thank you to all the teachers who volunteered their time from helping coach sports teams, to conducting music and drama practices, class trips and fun fairs.
Here are some highlights for me this year:
Under the guidance of Philippe, this year we competed at the Kiwanis music festival and we were awarded best band I might add.
The graduating class was witness to a miracle this year. Ms. Leavoy somehow managed to get Justin and Joel to read a novel. I am still amazed. I learned how many girls can fit into one tiny dorm room while getting ready for dinner and have the best time while doing it. I also learned that our class is not perfect. We may decide to make Pokémon puzzles at inappropriate times or maybe we eat lead during science class, accidentally. We don’t always have the best fashion sense either. Do you ever just want to wear a hotdog costume to school for days in a row and it gets to the point where Mr. Grady has to stop math class and ask if you have lost a bet.
The class trip to Toronto will definitely always be my all-time favourite memory. We had two rules. Have fun – check. Don’t draw attention to yourselves – complete fail. 35 students singing and dancing in Jack Astors may have drawn a bit of attention. Oh, and then we did it again at Wonderland. Oh, and we seemed to be always dancing on the streets of Toronto – doing our favourite dance –The Debbie.
Graduates, today is not just about us. Today is also a very important day for our parents. They have high hopes for us and believe in us. Take a look at them now. You can see them smiling and taking photos. Today they are very, very proud of you! Today would be a good day to ask for money.
But seriously they have done so much for us and today would be a good day to hug them and thank them for all the support and encouragement they have given over the years. Not to mention the thousands of kilometers that have gone on that car and thousands of dollars in the gas tank!
To my fellow classmates, thank you for making the 10 years the best they could possibly be. For the endless laughs and unforgettable memories. It’s sad to think that next year we won’t all be together, but no one can take away the memories that we have made. We are a family. Dysfunctional at times, but still a family. I love that we are perfectly imperfect.
I think it will be the little everyday things that I will miss the most. Like Cassie always falling up the stairs, Ciera laughing about absolutely nothing, for so long; Justin always saying “that person always gets picked during timed writing” or one person in particular, who never wants to go to the board in math class, even though she knows all the answers. Penny talking daily about how fat her cat is and Mr. Grady greeting us every morning with a “good afternoon class”.
Cobden school has always provided us with the opportunity to grow and experience new things. We took chances and experienced changes; chances personally of setting higher goals and standards in life; chances academically with grades and extracurriculars and chances socially of branching out and creating new friendships and stronger bonds.
Grade 8 was familiar but with new opportunities opening to us. We felt like the leaders of the school. Now we head to high school and I am sure even more opportunities will open for us. But now we are miner niners.
Thank you to all who have made our school experience what it is today and what it will be when we look back upon these memories. Thank you, in helping us pursue our dreams and goals.
All the paths we took, all the decisions we made they all helped us to realize who we were and who we wanted to be. We learned not to follow footsteps but to create our own. Elementary school was a chance for us to shine; it was a time to discover how to stand up for our own beliefs. We didn’t let our fears of belonging prevent us from showing our true selves. Finding yourself among a sea of so many friendships and relationships – it was a tough lesson to learn and even harder skill to gain, but sure enough we have set our own trends and goals……….don’t let anyone discourage you. It gave us a chance to learn to love ourselves, walk with confidence and live without holding back.
With the next four years to define who we are once more, we will never forget what we have learned within the school walls; we will never forget the chances we took, the small to major transformations we’ve all undergone and the opportunities that gave us a chance to realize aspirations. The memories and friendships we have created together in this school can never be erased, and now we sit here awaiting what the future holds. So as this chapter ends, we are more than ready to begin the next. There is nothing like a memory to mark the past and there is nothing like a dream to create the future.
When I was little I thought 10 years was a long time. But now looking at your faces, I realize that it wasn’t nearly long enough. Thank you, Class of 2017, for making Cobden great again!
