Shevchenko School valedictorians inspire with speeches

It was a day filled with emotion as 27 graduates said goodbye to their old lives as they embarked on their new lives of post-secondary education or full-time careers.

Valedictorians Brylie Woods and Nathan Klassen spoke about their time in school mentioning events that happened with different teachers or students but the message they wanted to get across was clear: We’ll miss the time we spent in school but along the way we learned who we were and we’re not afraid to make mistakes as we venture into the future.

“I want to say thank you to our teachers and family members for being here since day one and for helping us even when we gave you sass about homework and late assignments as well as understanding us when high school got hard,” said Woods.

Her favourite memories include seeing the boys soccer team win the 2024 banner, winning multiple sports awards, riding the buses listening to the boys and girls sing out of tune to California Girls, and Mr. Cruise running around the room like a dinosaur or monkey to wake the students up.

Woods’ plans are to work at Bethesda Regional Health Centre working in materials management.

“For my fellow graduates we did it and we did it together,” she said. “We managed to survive Shevchenko…Standing here today is nothing short of incredible. For us the school wasn’t just a place where we memorized dates, formulas, or battled through tough exams, this was our home for the past two years and it’s where we learned who were are and who we were becoming.”

Klassen said graduating felt “awesome” and it was “cool representing our graduating class.” He said he will work the summer at Rose River Park and afterwards he wants to start his own lawn care business.

Some of Klassen’s fondest memories were winning the soccer banner in 2024, the rainy days playing mini-sticks in the hallways, playing dodge ball in gym class, and making fun of Mr. Sanchez in shop class.

“Although this is a celebration of an accomplishment and the end of one chapter it is also a new beginning full of anticipation and excitement,” he said.

“To my fellow graduates I say, don’t be afraid of making mistakes cause learning from them will only make you stronger in the future. Failure is not the opposite of success it is part of the journey.

“All of the irreplaceable people that I’ve met, and experiences that we’ve had have, taught me not to take anything for granted because it will likely be over before you know it. So, make the best of what you have cause you never know what incredible things lay ahead.”

Dean Hardern was the guest speaker. He was the athletic director of the school until 2023 when he became the vice-principal of Green Valley School in Grunthal. His message to the graduating class was what mattered was the people they had become.

“Not only did you make it but you made it with strength, creativity and compassion. You are ready not because you have all the answers because you learned to ask the right questions. You’ve learned to try, how to fail, how to learn, and how to keep going. And those are the skills that matter most not just in school, but in life,” he said.

Achieving the Governor General’s Award was Genevieve Thibodeau. The award is given to the student who has the highest academic achievement in Grade 11 and 12. Thibodeau said she will go on to achieve a bachelor of education degree.

“Be yourself. Don’t let people or social media control your decisions. Prioritize yourself and do what inspires,” she said to her graduating class.

James Charette will go on to get his Red Seal in automotive repair and look after his child. His advice to his graduating class was “find a job, save up money, and buy a car!”

Sophia Friesen is graduating with an honours academic diploma and has been on the honour roll since Grade 7. After graduation, she plans on working until she decides what she’ll do next. Her advice to her fellow graduates was don’t be afraid to talk to people. “There are some pretty great people that you never knew you would be friends with,” she said.

Shania Kehler is graduating with first class honours and received the award for top mark in Art 40 and has been on the honour roll since Grade 9 and received the Teachers Choice Award in Grade 11. After school she plans on finishing her hair dressing course and going on to be an art teacher.

And Taya Romaniuk graduated with honours. She has been on the honour roll five times since Grade 8 and out of all the memories of her time at Shevchenko her fondest are with Mr. Sanchez. After graduating, Romaniuk plans on going to medical school.

“Enjoy your life the way you want,” she said.