Time is neither positive or negative – it’s what you do with it that is.
That was the core message of valedictorian Adam Meyers’ speech to the 91 graduates of Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate at June 29’s graduation ceremony.
“We have the whole future ahead of us to do what we want and I challenge everybody to use this time, have a good attitude with it so you can live your life with no regrets,” he said before the ceremony started. “This is our time now, we’ve got to live for ourselves and I hope that everybody really understands that.”
Jerry Heffernan, the school’s principal, said the class of 2017 was an excellent group of students.
“They’re a high academic achieving group and have done very well in a variety of extracurricular activities,” he said. “I’m very proud of them and they’ll have very successful lives.”
Rick Lang, Melfort’s mayor, said he was honoured to recognize the graduates’ achievements.
“Many of them will have more education to go for sure and more places to go and more experiences to have and I’m sure all of them will have that because it gives them a basis for moving forward.”
Meyers said that it’s an unbelievable feeling to graduate after 13 years in the public school system.
“You never really think this day is going to come and once you get to your senior years, it just seems to fly by and all of a sudden it’s upon you.”
Heffernan said he expects to see 50 of the students move on to post-secondary education. That includes Meyers, who’s going to Cumberland College to take the University of Saskatchewan’s education program.
“That’s extremely high because we hear that the Canada average is more like 25 per cent, so we’re very blessed in this community to have students and parents that value education,” Heffernan said.
The principal planned to give the graduates some advice.
“Part of my speech is dealing with developing positive habits that will lead them through life,” he said, adding that includes how they treat themselves, how they treat each other, having empathy towards others and having respect towards others.
Lang also had some advice.
“The gist of what I plan on saying today is life is full of challenges and you can’t give up,” he said. “You have to keep persevering because it doesn’t always work out perfectly the first time.”
Heffernan said that graduation means his students are entering another chapter in their life.
“This is but one milestone they’re going to experience. Everybody experiences many in their lives and this group will handle each one successfully.”
