Rebecca Cairns, the valedictorian for the class of 2017 at Porcupine Plain Comprehensive School, got stuck driving a few years ago.
Her dad came and told her that she wasn’t stuck, she just couldn’t move forward. It’s that piece of advice that she decided to pass on to the 26 other graduates in her speech.
“That’s the best advice I’ve ever heard and I’m going to be telling them that, that even if you feel you can’t move forward, you’re not stuck,” she said. “Each of us are capable of solving our own problems and we all have our family and friends who will guide us.”
The graduation ceremony was held June 23.
Dan Mielke, the school’s principal, said the class of 2017 are an interesting mix of kids.
“We have all ability levels, all interests, all personalities. It’s just a great group of kids, a very eclectic group of kids,” he said. “They have always been a very strong-willed class who knows what they want and they have always been great self-advocates.”
Cairns said her class could be a handful.
“We’re full of bright people. Everyone here is very unique and capable of solving all of their problems. They’re good people.”
The valedictorian said graduating after 13 years was scary and exciting at the same time.
“It’s overwhelming in a way, but honestly it’s one of the most rewarding things ever too. It’s really exciting to do it with people I have grown up with. It’s exciting, more than anything,” she said. “We’re all going to a place in our lives where we’re not going to be together anymore, which is going to be really weird because we all grew up together and all of a sudden we’re going our separate ways.”
Mielke said more than half of the class will be going into post-secondary, taking degrees like nursing, pre-med, pre-pharmacy and trades like automotive, agriculture, hairdressing. Cairns said she was taking psychology at the University of Saskatchewan.
“It it’s a possible path, they’re on it.”
The principal added the class was offered more than $36,000 in scholarships.
“I think this class is going to do very well. I think this is a class that I have zero concerns that they will make their mark in life and they will go on to do great things.”
As for Cairns’ favourite memory of the school, she said it was the time teacher Dan Bloski took them fishing.
“It was fun to see everybody out of the classroom. It was just a place we could spend time with each other. It was a good day.”
Everybody caught a fish in the end.
