When asked what memory comes to mind when it came to the 12 graduates of Star City School, Rob Unruh, the school’s principal, recalls the time they tried to skip school in Grade 11.
Rather than just doing it, they asked permission.
“They were asking their parents and they were asking their teachers if it would be okay and we all just chuckled about it because the whole aspect of skipping is that you just do it and they felt obligated to ask permission, so it was really funny because that’s the type of kids they are.”
For those wondering: no, they didn’t get permission.
The school’s graduation ceremony was held June 10. Dannika Meier, the valedictorian, said of the 12 students, seven have been together since preschool.
“It’s a large class for Star City but we’re really close-knit,” she said. “We all get along and hang out together often. Everyone’s their own person, everyone’s totally different, but we seem to make everything work. We’re like all part of a bigger puzzle.”
Unruh has known the graduates since he came to Star City School during their Grade 4 years. He said they were a neat and interesting group of kids that are always the first to step up and volunteer when something needed to be done. They were also sociable.
“They wanted to get to know their teachers and interested with conversation and you don’t always get that with students.”
Meier said it felt great to finish 13 years of school, because sometimes she wasn’t sure that she could get things done the way she wanted them done.
“I think now, that it’s at the end, we’re happy with what we’ve done and we’re happy with how far we’ve came,” she said. “You can see the change. We’ve all grown quite a bit in the last 12, 13 years.”
In her valedictory speech, Meier encouraged her class to focus on the future and give it their all, as it was impossible to change the past.
Unruh said he’d advise the students to retain the work ethic they showed at the school.
“If you take that attitude into any road that they choose in their life, they’re going to be successful,” he said. “I would just say too, keep giving back, like you gave back to Star City School, keep giving back to the communities you live in and organizations you’re involved with.”
Meier said she was happy to go to the school.
“Star City’s one of the best schools you can go to just because it’s small and you know everyone. You’re close-knit with the teachers and have one-on-one time. They really get to know you personally and understand your learning style.”
The valedictorian also had her own funny memory of the school. In an earlier grade, their teacher read a Christmas story.
“Instead of saying ‘donkey’, she would say, ‘jackass’. We would all laugh and then she said, ‘okay, I can’t say that word anymore.’ She said ‘donkey’ but then we convinced her to say ‘jackass’ just because we thought it was hilarious.”
