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YorktonCo-op_6x56_R0011247773.indd prod2/kj 6x56L grad 2016 f/c proof billemail to bruce

CONGRATULATIONS to our 2016 Sacred Heart Graduating Students

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Good afternoon Reverend Fathers and Sisters, School Board Members, Honoured Guests, Teachers, Family, Friends and most important-ly, our fellow graduates.

Change is inevitable. Every single person in this room has undergone some kind of change in their life. We would like to offer our thanks to the parents and the community of Sacred Heart for their contributive roles in our development as we’ve grown through the years.

First we started off by changing our parents’ lives when they found out that we existed. Some, like my par-ents, were overjoyed, and a bit surprised for the new addition to the family.

And some, like my parents weren’t really phased and probably said “great another member for the soccer team!” Then after we joined the world, you guys literally had to change our diapers, and on behalf of the gradu-ating class we would like to thank all of the parents and grandparents in attendance for cleaning up our messes all of the time.

Then you watched us take our firsts steps, and con-tinued to love and support us until we stepped on stage today as the graduating class of 2016. Some of us never thought this day would come, especially Ben’s parents since he couldn’t actually walk until he was 4.

You’ve stuck with us in the hard times, and you’ve proven that by showing your unconditional love through our teenage years by stay-ing up late to make sure we got home safe, dealing with our false sense of superior-ity, and forgiving some of our biggest mistakes like driving through our parents’ gar-age doors for example, right Nicole?

Ya I can’t deny that one, sorry mom and dad... Not only would I like to forget that moment in my life, but I’m sure I’m not alone in want-ing to forget that lovely stage of extreme change called puberty. But hey we suffered through those braces and acne for a reason and I’d love to tell my classmates how hot they look today, but unfortu-nately we can’t measure heat eh Mr. Depape?

Even though many of us will be leaving home next year, we will still be in need of our parents’ help. Expect phone calls weekly asking how to tell if chicken is safe to eat or how to make $20 dollars last the rest of the month for groceries. We may have physically changed into adults, but we are still,

and always will be your lit-tle angels... or should I say saints.

Next, we have all of the members of Sacred Heart to thank including all the staff and students who have graced the halls that we will soon leave as we start the next phase of our lives. We entered High School as chil-dren, but we’re leaving here as adults. Sacred has had the almost impossible task of transforming a class of awk-ward, gangly grade nines into mature, educated students ready to tackle adulthood. Not only are all my class-mates living proof of a job well done, but Sacred has gone above and beyond to change us into the best ver-sion of ourselves possible.

I’d love to say that I’ll remember how to derive the quadratic formula in five years, but that would be such a lie, sorry mom. However, I can honestly say that Sacred has taught me many things that I will carry with me after I leave. What I did learn from you mom, is that if you give a man a fish, you feed them for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, you feed them for life. I’m not really sure how that applies to this speech. Mr. Grela has taught us how to be very punctual, since none of us wanted to do any of the punishments in the dreaded “late” box. Mr. Chisholm has taught us to take everything with a grain of salt.

Digout has taught us per-sistence to get those writing

folders to 100%, or maybe like 50% for some of us, by pains-takingly fixing every error in our English essays. In Mr. Enns’ law class he taught us to be good judges of charac-ter, both figuratively and lit-erally. This school has even made some of our students into amazing businessmen, just look at Chris Buzinski and his thriving locker/con-venience store, that guy is destined for greatness. It’s safe to say that Sacred has not only changed us intel-lectually as students, but has more importantly changed us as individuals ready to face whatever life throws at us.

Lastly, we need to thank our fellow graduates. As I look back on the past four years I enjoyed it, a lot in fact. Not collectively of course; I won’t miss the early mornings or the hallways in between class changes. What will I miss? The people. Although we have started from differ-ent elementary schools, been involved in different teams and sports, and even come from different towns or cit-ies, today we are graduating together.

As we get older, society will ask us to change who we are. I earlier said that change is inevitable, but what is not inevitable is how we choose to handle it. Look at change as a chance to grow, and to use what we have learnt in the last four years to effectively get over obstacles life throws

at us. Because even during times when we may feel like we’ve lost everything, there’s one thing that no one can ever take away from us, our education. Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” A high school dip-loma is a wonderful tool in this world, one that opens many doors of opportunity for anyone lucky enough to have one. Without our education we wouldn’t have been given the opportunity to learn how to read, write, or learn about how much Arius likes fried chicken. Our high school education is the platform that we will use to launch ourselves into our futures.

As we move past our High School years and into what-ever next awaits us, Work, University, for Zacharyl it’s the Rigs, and for Kitzan it’s to replace Trudeau, the world is going to ask us to change our way of life so that we can fit in with the society, but fellow graduates we encourage you not to change. Stay true to what you’ve learnt both from your parents and from your years here at Sacred Heart. Our entire world is constant-ly changing, and amidst all the confusion, there is only one constant…God. With the help of God, the world won’t change you, you will change the world.

Thank You and God Bless.

Nicole Redl Benedict Fetsch

2016 Valedictory Address