St. Mary’s grads lauded for perseverance, resilience

SHERBROOKE - Graduates, families, teachers and school staff gathered at St. Mary’s Academy on June 26 to celebrate the Class of 2024.

Principal Trevor MacIsaac welcomed guests and congratulated the 16 graduates on their hard work, perseverance and growth during their 13 years of school; navigating academic complexities, social connections and pressures to succeed, even when it seemed impossible. He encouraged the grads to celebrate their proven resilience and the significance of their accomplishments, to be proud to welcome new challenges, dreams and aspirations and to relish the moments of the evening as they celebrated with the school community.

MacIsaac thanked teachers and staff members for their dedication and hard work to make the graduation ceremony possible, and for their unwavering support of the students.

He also shared a quote from actress Jennifer Garner, “‘Fight for what makes you optimistic about the world; find it, insist on it, dig into it and go after it,” while praising them on their hard work to reach this “important milestone” in their lives.

MacIsaac encouraged each of them to cherish the great memories, utilize their life skills in the pursuit of their dreams and to take life on with a purpose and make a difference.

“Don’t ever let people tell you that you can’t, let your self-respect and integrity guide you,” he said, “Don’t wait – make your opportunities happen.”

Valedictorian Aubrey (Sadie) Tate-Beaver addressed her peers, taking them on a brief walk down memory lane with humour and sincerity, as she spoke about entering the school as “itty bitty kids”, touching on the adventures that they shared up to finishing their journeys and becoming high school graduates.

She acknowledged the teachers, school staff and all who were a part of guiding them to where they were that evening.

Tate-Beaver gave mention that the graduates would soon go off in various directions.

“Some [of us] will head to college, some to the workforce and some to university, and that’s okay. Because, if high school has taught us anything, it’s that we figure things out as we go, or by googling them,” the latter of which was met with chuckles from guests.

She invited her fellow grads to acknowledge that, while they might not have “everything figured out,” they could handle anything, albeit “with a little confusion and some improvisation.”

“May our futures be as bright as the white on the whiteboards,” Tate-Beaver offered, in congratulating her peers. “Always remember that we are in this together.

“We got this.”

The valedictorian was presented with a plaque from the school, which read, “While we rarely share the same opinions, we will always share the same memories.”

Numerous awards and scholarships were presented during the evening, including to Tate-Beaver, who received eight awards, such as the Governor General's Medal, as well as 18 scholarships and prizes. Malcolm Pye received four awards, including the Queen Elizabeth II Medal, along with 12 scholarships and prizes, while Charlize McEwan and Hunter Barnes rounded out the top-four high achievers.

Guest speaker Cory Hayne, from St. Mary’s Class of 1998, is a teacher with the Strait Regional Centre for Education. He has 20 years of hockey officiating experience at the national and international level. Hayne spoke about the importance of connections as he shared memories of his graduation.

“Everyone in this room right now, tonight, is here to celebrate you,” said Hayne, as he encouraged the graduates to “be resilient, to push through the hard times and to lean on family and friends” to help them overcome the adversity that life may throw at them.

“They will be the ones who will give you a little push when you need it the most,” he shared, “Those people, when you need them the most, will still look after you.”

Hayne encouraged the grads to find their passion, the thing “that makes you tick,” assuring them that success can be found in that passion while chasing their dreams.

“Oh well, I guess you lose some and you win some, long as the outcome is income, you know I want it all and then some,” he offered, quoting Canadian music star Drake.

Recognizing that material success does “influence our lives heavily,” Hayne’s advice to the grads was to follow their dreams and “do what makes you happy”; to strive to be the best version of themselves and to “fly through the turbulence and live life to the fullest.”

Admitting that he did not remember who the guest speaker was at his graduation ceremony, and he doesn’t remember how to balance an equation in chemistry, or anything from a Shakespearean play or how many lines are in a haiku, Hayne remarked that he does remember getting caught copying a math assignment in Grade 11, hockey games in Canso, friends he had and the people he met while attending St. Mary’s Academy.

And although he may not have seen them or spoken to them in a long time, he still remembers them.

“Never forget the connections of the people, places and experiences that the community and school of St. Mary’s Education Centre and Academy have created for you to prepare you for an exciting future,” Hayne said.

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Joanne Jordan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Guysborough Journal