There were tears and laughs, dances and jumps for joy as Humboldt Collegiate Institute (HCI) sent off another 94 graduates into the world during their graduation ceremony on June 29.
Before leaving the halls of HCI, there were many words of wisdom passed on with HCI Principal Cory Popoff addressing the students during his principal’s address.
Even though he did pull double duty during the 2016 graduation as a parent and a teacher, Popoff says that he still feels like a parent to 94 students.
“I can’t wait to see what this particular group achieves. They’re a great bunch of kids.”
Being a principal included attending the many great sporting events, musical performances, variety nights, and drama productions put on by the students and seeing what the students achieved as a team or individually, he is just as proud as the parents watching the students.
“We’re with them six hours a day and I’m just so proud of them.”
Jessi Sperling and Max Dale had the honour to send their fellow graduates off with their co-valedictorian speech.
Dale explained before the speech that it took three run-off votes to get the election down to just two people and they were happy with that, he says.
For Sperling the most important thing she wants her fellow students to know is to be themselves.
“Do what you want to do, be the people you want to be in your life because you all have the potential to be great people.”
Sperling says she will always take with her the good times with her classmates.
Humboldt as a community has been a great support for the students, attending productions and cheering them on during sporting events.
Popoff says, he hopes the students have seen the support the community has given them.
“When it comes their time to have their children go through our school system that they are just as supportive.”
See more photos here.
Graduation Night Awards:
HCI SRC Spirit of Humboldt Collegiate Award: Samantha Seidle
Horizon School Division Award: Simon Ford
Francis Catherine Gerwing Award: Coleen Parajas
Boyden Family Scholarship: Samantha Seidle
Evert and Ida Johnson Award: Sarah Lessmeister
Henry Kloppenburg Mathematics Scholarship: Emily Engele
Masonic Scholarship: May Deanne Ada
Masonic Scholarship: Tyson Fraess
Cecilia Poole Award: Jalen Smith
D. Ronald Bell Scholarship: Mackenzie Dale
D. Ronald Bell Scholarship: Jessi Sperling
R. J. and Agnes Adams Award: Emily Engele
Congratulations Graduates
We asked some local notables what advice they would give to graduates upon the day of the graduation. Here is what they had to say:
“Don’t be afraid of failure. Be afraid of success too easily attained.”
- Dallas Puto, Principal at St. Dominic School
“Be comfortable with your choices and decisions – career, location, circle of friends, other pursuits. If you can live with yourself and have no regrets over the choices and decisions you’ve made, what others think is irrelevant.”
- Brian Grest, Horizon School Division Administrator of Student Activities
“Learning does not end with the completion of high school. Whether you will be joining the workforce or pursuing post-secondary education, there is always so much more to learn. I challenge each of you to remain lifelong learners. Find your passions, pursue them with everything in your heart and your soul and you will realize the great potential for success our world has to offer.”
- Kevin Garinger, Director of Education for the Horizon School Division
“Remember to be thankful no matter what is happening and to laugh every day.”
- Hope Summers, Senior Language Teacher, HCI
“Don’t be afraid to take chances in life. Have fun, be confident, and most importantly, believe in yourself.”
-Tyler Bieber, HCI Coach
“Life is too short to sit and wait. Sometimes you have push life and take chances. If you don’t succeed, at least you know you tried.”
- Troy Lucyshyn, parent
“Success or failure, happiness or unhappiness, all depends on attitude. Have the attitude that will create the future you imagine.”
- Donna Harpauer, Humboldt-Watrous MLA
“The most important thing you can be is to be kind. Be the person you needed at your hardest time in life. Then extend that kindness to others, even to complete strangers as we truly do not know the struggle others are facing. There’s enough ugly in the world at times, we need more people who look out for each other. That is where you’ll make your greatest impact.”
-Melanie Gray, Executive Assistant at Horizon School Division
“Do not allow yourself to be defined by the mistakes of your past. Learn from them and grow. Instead, define yourself by who you are today, and who you will be tomorrow.”
- Cory Popoff, Principal HCI
