HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-07-12, Page 13By Kasey KingHonourable guests, teach-ers, parents and fellow class-mates,Here we are – at our grad-uation! Did you think theday would ever come whenwe would be the honoured
guests at our graduation.
And to think that this is just
the first of possibly many –
high school, college or univer-
sity and for some you may return
to school many times as you change
or alter careers.
Let’s just take a moment to
remember and reflect on our past
nine to 10 years as we prepare to
take this next crucial step in life. For
some of us, those memories are
good and bad; filled with victories,
failures and challenges. Our good
memories may be the first time you
placed at track and field, an A on a
test that you studied for all night,
making it on one of the sports teams
or the performance band or, earning
a part in the school play.
Some memories, we may choose
to forget. For two of our classmates,
it was our Grade 1 Christmas play, I
Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.
Someone had to be Mommy and
someone had to be Santa and some-
one had to kiss someone else!!!
That’s all that needs to be said.
While we reminisce about our
past, we also need to think about …
the future. It’s the scariest word in
the world to me. Where will be we
be in 10 years? Will we be done
school and working? Or what about 30 years. Willwe be the parents at gradua-tion? Our children may askus about our public schooland what it was like. I hopewhen you tell your childrenabout Brussels Public
School, you remember this
moment, and how proud and
excited you are feeling right
now.
We are who we are now because
of our past, and we will be who we
will be because of who we are now.
Public school is where we learned
the very basics that we now take for
granted – things like how to choose
good friends, how to deal with con-
flict, how to read and write, and we
built the foundation of our character.
I know it’s hard to believe but
these basics are the building block
for the rest of our lives. Teachers
have been preparing us for this
moment since the first day we
walked into that kindergarten class-
room – brand new and open to ideas,
and now it’s our turn to take it from
here.
This September we will walk
through those high school doors,
some of us nervous, some of us
excited, and some of us both. We
will meet many types of people,
with many new ideas that will force
us to accept that there may be more
than one solution to a problem. This
teaches us tolerance. What a great
gift to learn.
Teachers – we thank you and hope
you realize what an impact you’ve
had on our lives. You’ve given us
knowledge and support and encour-
aged us to reach our full potential.
All of the teachers we’ve had have
taught us something and did it in a
way that was special and distinctive,
so we would want to learn.
Our junior teachers taught us how
to count, paint and share, phonics by
connecting an action to the sound,
art, and the different sounds of
Mozart. Some teachers took a more
hands-on approach with field trips.
We also had several French teachers
who taught us how important learn-
ing a second language could be in
the future.
The intermediate teachers intro-
duced us to music and we learned
that chameleons are not as creepy as
they look!
Mr. Westra taught us you are never
too young for heart surgery. Mrs.
Mitchell stepped in when needed
and with “motherly” persuasion,
managed to tone down the intensity
in our classroom to something more
tolerable.
One of our intermediate teachers
was Mr. Weber. Ah, Mr. Weber. He
was our teacher not once but twice –
Grade 4 and then Grade 8! We
already knew that he constantly
broke the chalk at the chalkboard; so
if you were allergic to dust, sit at the
back. But “coincidently” he got
moved to a classroom with white
boards.
We also knew that if you don’t
want to learn that day, it was very
easy to get him off topic. A good
sentence starter was “Have you ever
been to Europe?” Unfortunately for
us, he caught on to that sooner than
later.
Mr. Weber also taught us to
Off to Madill - Brussels Public School’s Grade 8 graduation class is, back row, from left: Curtis White,
Cassidy Peachey, Sarah McAninch, Ryan Baker, Zach Watson, Tyler Smith, Natalie White, Kassandra King,
Rachel Cousins, Kabrina Bishop, Ty Sebastian, Kieran Blaney. Front: Nic Gowing, Marissa Pipe, Christine
Bone, Megan Miners, Emily Kerkhof and Mercedes Ten Pas.
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2007. PAGE 13.BB rr uu ss ss ee ll ss PP uu bb ll ii cc SS cc hh oo oo llBBrruusssseellss PP uu bb ll ii cc SS cc hh oo oo ll
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Continued on page 18