It’s that time of year when young ladies are dressing up in beautifully coloured dresses and the young men are donning suits.
It’s a rite of passage for many students — graduation from Grade 8 or high school.
For many, this means in the fall it’s off to a new school, whether it be the local high school or a post-secondary school near or far.
But, for now, they have the summer to enjoy. But, let’s remember how they got where they are today.
It took many hours of class and home work; making new friends, but keeping the old; learning the basics of reading, writing and math and all the new technologies; growing up from a child to a tween and finally a teenager and all the changes that happen during those years which are familiar to us all; and of course all the extra-curricular activities in and out of school.
But, let’s remember all the help they received from mom and dad, brothers and sisters, grandma and grandpa, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, neighbours and most of all, their teachers through the years.
To the students, enjoy your summer. For many, you will have summer jobs. Remember, this is a prelude to the adult world, but without all the things adults must deal with — for you that will come soon enough.
Enjoy this summer and have fun, but remember, there’s opportunity to learn something new every day.
My mother, who died in 1998, used to say…you will learn something new each day. And that’s so true. There’s not a day goes by that I don’t learn something and when I do, I always think, I can go to sleep tonight knowing I learned something.
Congratulations, Graduates
