Two deserving students are sharing valedictorian duties for the 2013 graduating class at Morley Community School: Tim Ebner, 19, and Hannah Hunter, 17.
Although proud of being selected to represent their class, both students said the honour didn’t come without a little hard work. In addition to their studies, extra-curricular interests and learning about their culture, the pair was part of a group of students who worked to set up the school’s student council.
“I like the challenge of school,” said Ebner, who said he could usually be found in the school’s woodshop. “It’s been worth all the hard work.”
“Even through all the adversity — we made it,” said Hunter. “I’m not just proud of myself, but of everybody.”
Both Hunter and Ebner have been accepted into Mount Royal University for the fall semester. Hunter has aspirations of becoming a social worker. Ebner said he enjoys working with his hands and would like to eventually pursue a career in welding or construction.
Hunter and Ebner both expressed their desire to bring their education and future goals back to the reserve.
“We’re the future,” said Hunter. “I can come back here and help kids who are just like me. I really feel our generation is going to be the one to make a change.”
“Just keep going,” added Ebner. “Don’t give up. Just keep chasing what you love. Even if it’s behind a barbed-wire fence — get over it.”
With his speech already behind him, Cochrane High School’s 2013 graduating class valedictorian Jacob Grainger can relax.
And he should, with the busy four years he has had. An avid volunteer, athlete and academic, Grainger’s senior year has been a flurry of studying, football, track and cross-country, along with club sports and community services.
“There are so many extra-curricular activities in this school — there really is something for everyone,” said Grainger, who graduated alongside his siblings Madison and Cooper. “Plus, all of the teachers have been awesome throughout my four years here.”
Grainger’s busy schedule will continue in the fall, as he begins a Bachelor of Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. His dream job: medical research.
“In Grade 10 I suffered a concussion,” explained Grainger. “I would love to be a doctor who is involved with brain research and brain injuries.”
Bow Valley High School (BVHS) valedictorian Lucy Engelman set out to make the most of her graduating year. Between excelling in a variety of subjects and attending a slew of sports games — Engelman said her senior year left her with an appreciation for the local high school.
“BVHS has a unique spirit to it,” said the 18-year-old. “It’s been a learning experience — in more than one way. It’s been a growth experience. It’s a super-special school and I’m honoured to have been apart of it.”
In her four years at the high school, Engelman has been a face on the rugby team, was extensively involved with the school’s leadership program, and spent her final year decked out in blue and gold as the school’s “unofficial mascot.”
Now, she’ll be taking all these lessons with her to the University of Lethbridge, where she’s set to take a combined degree — Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Science — this September.
“My dream job is to be a high school science teacher,” said Engelman.
Engelman named chemistry and the other sciences as her favourite school subjects.
“To see how much of an impact my teachers have had on me — I just have to pay it forward.”
Engelman will hit the stage with her fellow graduates June 27 and already she said she is fighting back the tears. Whatever comes next though, she said she and her peers are ready for the next chapter.
“It’s going to be tough to move on,” she said. “But if we look back at our experiences and everything we’ve been through, it gives us enough courage, spirit and strength to move on.”
With her quiet confidence, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to hear Erika Scholten has big dreams.
The 18-year-old — who graduated May 31 — will be off to Ontario’s University of Guelph in the fall, but she has no intention of leaving behind the lesson she learned during her six years at St. Timothy School.
“It’s a small school, but we have such a good, close-knit community,” said Scholten, naming biology as her current favourite school subject.
“Because of the small group, you learn to strive for the best and become an individual. There’s room here to become who you would like to be.”
Chosen to represent her graduating class as valedictorian, Scholten has some wise words to impart on her peers to remain true to themselves as they tackle their post-secondary life.
“We’ve all grown into superb, good people,” she said. “I want to see everyone grow and be amongst the people they want to be around. You’re never more at home than when you’re surrounded by people you love.”
In Guelph, the 18-year-old will be pursuing a Bachelor of Science, majoring in biosciences and minoring in medical sciences.
“My dream job would be a pediatrician — but that’s 14 years of schooling down the road,” she said with a laugh. “I love kids and I, specifically, like the idea of helping them.”
Bethan McBreen is a busy young woman. Involved with fencing, modern pentathlon and equestrian sports, the graduate from the 2013 class of Cochrane Home Educators credits the schooling program for preparing her for the next phase of her life.
“I’ve left home educators with a sense of self-motivation,” said McBreen, who celebrated her graduation with other program grads June 1. “I’m not the type to wait for someone to direct me with what to do.”
McBreen’s self-motivating qualities will serve her well in September, when she begins her Bachelor of Arts program at Calgary’s Mount Royal University. There, she said she would be focusing on psychology and English.
Naming English as her favourite subject to study, McBreen said she would consider it a dream to become an author. Currently, she said she writes poetry, fiction and short stories. While she has yet to be published, she said she’s “working on it.”
“High school was such good preparation for me,” she added. “My fellow graduates and I are ready to surpass whatever expectations we set for ourselves.”
Cochranite Emma Pincott, a senior at Springbank’s Edge School for Athletes, seemed to barely contain her excitement for her post-graduate adventures when she met up with the Cochrane Eagle.
Pincott, a goalie for the girls’ hockey team at Edge School, will be celebrating the end of her high school experience with her peers June 28 — a fact she said she can scarcely believe.
“It seems like just yesterday I walked into the school for my first day,” she said. “Now, I’m almost walking in for my last day.”
Soon, Pincott will be walking into New York’s Union College to play for their NCAA Division 1 women’s hockey team. Until then, she’ll be spending the summer completing a mix of condition and strength exercises as part of her dry-land training.
“Like Edge, Union College is a small school, with a really high standard of academics,” said Pincott. “And the hockey program there has been progressing each year.”
In September, she’ll begin her Bachelor of Arts program, focusing on psychology.
The hockey player said she has aspirations of becoming a psychologist.
“People are interesting and I like helping them,” said Pincott. “There’s a lot of stigma surrounding people who are depressed or suffer from disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder. I want to help people deal with these issues.”
