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The Citizen, 1999-07-07, Page 19THE CITIZEN. WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 1999. PAGE 19. Seaforth Public School Graduation a time of mixed emotions By Kendra Bennewies Parents, teach­ ers, guests, and fellow graduates: It’s a great honour to have been cho­ sen to represent my Grade 8 grad­ uating class as valedictorian. As I stand before you looking around the room, I am filled with mixed emo­ tions. I feel happy, sad, excited and nervous all at the same time. I am sure you have all heard by now that Mrs. Hoelscher is retiring the end of June and on behalf of your favourite Grade 8 class, we would like to wish you a happy retirement, all the best in the future and have fun with your grandchil­ dren. We will miss you! I would like to thank Mr. Rideout for allowing us to experience new opportunities during our years at Seaforth Public School. Last year, five Grade 7 and 8 students, Shannon, Missy, Brittany, Katie Thomas and I travelled to France for two weeks on a student exchange trip. It was a once in a lifetime chance to travel to a foreign country, meet new people and learn about their culture. Also last year, Shannon and I were chosen to represent Seaforth Public at a Peacemakers Conference in Orlando, FL. A lot of credit goes to Mrs. Julie Holmes who organized both trips and made each of them very exciting and memorable. This year Mrs. Holmes was vice-princi­ pal at Wingham Public and in September, will become the new principal in Turnberry. Congratulations! Many thanks should also be extended to all the parents of the Grade 8s for- their encouragement and support throughout our public school years. You have volunteered in the classrooms and on trips and McClure, Matt O’Rourke, Chris Weber, Kevin Wilbee, Devin Blake, Matt DeJong, Stephen Henderson, Gerrid Dalton, Cody McNaughton, Paul Stephen. Middle: Miss Morton, Mrs. Hoelscher, Luke Vick, Ian Gordon, Pattie Querengesser, Jamie Dale, Brittany Holmes, Amanda Short, Kendra Bennewies, Nicole Binnendyk, Devin McCutcheon, Pam Otten, Donny McLaughlin, Kelly East, Mr. Rideout, Mrs. Keskinen. Front: Sarah Williamson, Stacie Giller, Shannon Montgomery, Trisha McClure, Amy McClure, Laura Hood, Hope Williamson, Missy Teatero, Shannon Brooker, Meaghan O’Dell, Shaelyn Ward, Lindsey Powell, Laura Nixon, Cassie Heron. have supported us in our fundraising throughout the years. Without your help, our school wouldn’t be what it is today. This year our Grade 8 class went to Camp Celtic in Lion’s Head for four days and it was awesome. A special thanks goes out to Ms Morton for organizing the trip and being brave enough to go along with us to help chaperone. You’ll notice I’m not yelling Ms Morton. While we were at camp we enjoyed trying different activities like high ropes, wall climbing, tai bo, kayaking, and even a few brave souls like Missy and Lance attempt­ ed the polar bear swim. Every night we huddled around the campfire, and on one particular night during a love connection game, Luke, being the class clown that he is, ended up sitting in a pail of water instead of on a chair. Now I will try to recapture some highlights and tell you a little bit about each of the graduates. You can always find either Stacie, Amanda, or Trisha in the office tak­ ing over for Mrs. Jewitt. Maybe someday they’ll become secretaries Back row, from left: Laney Laverty, Shane McClure, Chris Driscoll, Barry Young, Geoff Banks, Jay Cochrane, Robbie themselves. I know Mrs. Jewitt real­ ly appreciated your help. It was a big change for 18 of us when we came to Seaforth Public from Walton in Grade 5. We were used to being the “big shots” at our small school and when we moved to Seaforth Public it was like starting all over again at the bottom of the ladder. We all met new friends, but of course kept our old friends. Amy, Trisha, Brittany, Stacie, Shaelyn and I were all good friends. Upon arriv­ ing, we met Shannon, who in turn, introduced us to her friends from Seaforth - Missy, Lindsey, Nicole, and Laura. In 1996, Meaghan moved across the road from the school and now we all hang out together. Luke, and Matt O’Rourke showed off their acting talents as the cool, greased up beatniks at the school’s production of “The Fabulous Fifties” this spring. Jay, Shannon, and I were also a part of the cast. Jay, also known as “Butch”, was the main character from Grade 8 and he did a great job. Doing the play was a lot of fun and it was a great success. Kelly, Laura H., Shannon, Pam, Patti, Sarah, and Hope are all good friends and you can always find them together like good friends should. Cody did an awesome job at the basketball free-throw tournament this winter at St. James. He then went two levels further at St. Anne’s missing the next level by only a few baskets. Congratulations! Whenever Mrs. Reynolds made up a new path for running in gym class, Shane would always be the one to take the rest of us the wrong way. You must work on following direc­ tions Shane! Amy, Lindsey, Steve, Devin Blake and Robbie are very athletic and were always members of the school teams. Go team, go! Paul and Donny have worked hard this year to improve their basketball skills and every recess they are out­ side shooting hoops. Ian enjoys curling and I curl with him on Friday nights during the win­ ter months at the Seaforth Curling Club. Shaelyn and Missy showed their athletic abilities by going on to the Regional Track and Field meet held last weekend in Kitchener. Way to go! Lance and Meaghan are profes­ sional jokers. They are always laughing and getting on Mrs. Hoelscher’s nerves. Could this be the reason why she is retiring? Jamie is the ultimate gum chewer. Almost every day, Mrs. Hoelscher has to remind Jamie to spit out his gum. If he was lucky and didn’t get caught throughout the week, the whole class could chew gum on Friday. Too bad there wasn’t an award for chewing gum Jamie. Better luck next time. The three stooges, better known as Gerrid, Geoff and Matt DeJong, are quite the trio. They like to have a lot of fun and can always be found together pulling pranks. Matt O’Rourke and Brittany are the artists of the class and we look forward to seeing some of their work in an art gallery some day. Devin, or to his friends, Cutch, is just an all around great guy and gets along with everyone. He is also try­ ing to improve his yo-yo skills. Keep working on it Cutch. Continued on page 20 T© A Great BEGINNING Walton, Ont. NOK 1Z0 Dungannon, Ont. NOM 1 RO Congratulations and best wishes to the class of 1999 McGavin Farm Supply Ltd. Farm Equipment Ltd. 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