The principal of Choiceland’s William Mason School said the eight students graduating in 2017 are an extra special group that will be hard to replace.
“We’re going to miss this group of kids. They’ve impacted our student body through various leadership roles and we’re just going to miss the contributions that they’ve made over the years,” said Darren LaRose. “They were an exceptional group. We really enjoyed them.
William Mason held its graduation ceremony June 17.
Kaden Nilson, one of the valedictorians, said he was excited about finishing 13 years of school.
“I was probably looking a lot more forward to it in Grade 9 or Grade 8 then I am now. I’m definitely trying to appreciate these last few days of school. But, no, it will be good to get out into the real world.”
Taylor Tatlow, the other valedictorian, said she was also excited.
“I’m really glad I got to spend it with my classmates. The people that I got to spend it with was the best part, I think. I’m really proud of all of us.”
The valedictorian said the graduating class was like a little family.
“We’re super close and tight. We all have our differences, like Kaden’s into track and I play volleyball and Taylor Markham is really good at art, Shelby [Kun] really likes reading. We all have our differences, but we come together and work together as a team.”
Nilson said the class does well academically.
“Everybody seems to be succeeding well in school and I’m sure everyone will do well at post-secondary education. Everybody seems to have a pretty good plan of what’s going on.”
Nilson plans to go to the University of Saskatchewan to take kinesiology. Tatlow plans to go to the University of Saskatchewan to take education with a focus on the elementary grades. Other students are looking at social work, power engineering and trades.
LaRose said the upcoming graduating classes will have large shoes to fill, as this group were active volunteers and worked to provide a positive atmosphere.
“I’m going to miss the conversations at the office. We really enjoyed having them,” he said. “We’re going to miss the personal relationships for sure.”
Nilson said William Mason is a good school.
“We’ve got a really good group of teachers. They really [go] well with the students, I feel. They’re willing to do anything to help us succeed.”
Tatlow agreed. She recalled how the Grade 1/2 teacher allowed her to volunteer in her class to get the hours of experience she needed to get into her university program.
“Moving to the city’s going to be so hard for me because I’m so used to everyone being so close.”
