REDVERS — Twenty-two students bid farewell to high school education on May 30 during graduation night at Redvers School.
A parade through town preceded the ceremonies, bringing the stars of the evening in their gowns, suits, sunglasses and cowboy hats to the school.
The evening moved along nicely as Grady Sutter and Fin Eckersley served as MCs. They welcomed one of the school’s teachers, Brooklyn Garnier. She introduced all the graduates one at a time. They hugged parents and families while Garnier told the assembled audience a bit about each of them and talked about students’ plans for next year, their long-term goals and highlights from their final year in school.
For example, Nate Jorgensen overcame a rodeo accident when he was tossed from a bucking bronco while in Grade 10. He was kicked in the face and spent 12 days in the hospital where he underwent brain surgery and experienced multiple seizures. He gave up rodeo to spare his family from further agony.
As well, she passed on words of advice from the graduates to younger students and what they would change about school if they had the power to do so, which ranged from serious to humorous. Many of the grads hoped to be married with kids within the next 10 years.
Upon the finish of each introduction, the graduates received their certificates.
Kaycee Demas sang O Canada before the various scholarship awards were handed out.
Jeffrey Greening, a coach and former teacher, was the evening’s legacy speaker. He called his address his love letter to the school, talking of the many things he adores about Redvers School.
"These school walls have produced greatness…and will again,” he said.
A slide show was put together by this year’s valedictorian Arzi Butong. The presentation gave an overview of each student, showed moments students together and became the means by which Butong gave his speech, spoken in the setting of the video game Minecraft.
To bring the evening to a close, two students – Madison Cameron and Koby Krainyk – gave a farewell to the graduating class, addressing each graduate individually. Several non-incendiary fireworks went off, bringing the evening to its end.
The graduates paraded out, with escorts on their arms, and the assembled crowd followed, offering their congratulations to the students as they stood in the hall.
