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The end is only the beginning

Fort St. James 2015 Grad Class celebrates with family and friends
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Maxz Boschman

Fort St. James Secondary School passed 45 students through the gates and into a fresh chapter in the student’s lives June 5.

The afternoon highlighted the personalities and future goals of the students many who are moving on to continuing education at university or college and some who are entering the trades.

Special guest speakers Manu Madhok, Director of Instruction, Lucy Duncan, School Trustee and Gretchen Vogelsang spoke to students about what lay ahead.

“I felt very old watching you all come up today,” Madhok said to the graduates. “As the ex-elementary principal for many of you up here on the stage, please know how proud, I, and all your teachers are on seeing your beaming faces up here this afternoon.”

Vogelsang held back tears during her speech to her students, the Grad Class of 2015, and handed out her final lesson to the grads. The lesson came in three parts: Meaning based on emphasis of words; visual through the audience; and the uniqueness of each student graduating.

“Each one of those people are filled with pride at seeing you on this stage reaching this milestone, embarking on your next journey,” Vogelsang said. “Bask in that for a moment.”

The valedictorian speech was presented by Dorian Pierre and Maxz Boschman, the two grads spoke on behalf of the graduating class and thanked members of the community for always being there for the students.

Boschman reminisced about the entire Grade 12 class skipping calculus and the consequences of those actions.

“(Mr. Ogi) finally looked at us, and I can tell you it felt like he was staring at every person in that room,” he said.

Pierre ended the valedictorian address by saying, “Make mistakes, have wonderful memories, but never ever second-guess who you are, where you have been, or how you got here.”

Graduating class of 2015:

James Besherse

Davin Birdi

Tennyson Blackmore

Erica Bolton

Maxz Boschman

Logan Burck

Nicholas Burdeniuk

Hailee Burgart

Hannah Burgart

Aaron Calder

Blake Cromarty

Rachael Crook

Bradley Digness

Rahneisha French

Rhiannon Gammon

Jamie George

Shelby Gramm

Kainaan Greeaway

Tacayla Huhn

Candice John

Janine Johnson

Mikayla Johnson

Jordan Joseph

Kyle Joseph

Jay-Jay Julian

Rylee Julian

Alexander Kemp

Rachel Klassen

Kaylee Macdonald

Matthew Marshall

Paige McKay

Mackenzie Moeller

Alicia Monk

Coale Monk

Dayna Monk

Dorian Pierre

Sydney Playfair

Liv Porsnuk

Felicity Rivard

Cheyenne Sabo

Joshua Sam

Steven Sam

Shaelynne Sampson

Reo Spooner

Joscelyn Stark

Jarrod Tom

Zachary Unruj

Eric Vinnedge

Patrick Williams