In the project of life, 30 Ashern Central School (ACS) students have completed phase one.
On June 22, the Grade 12s made the transition from high school to real life, and principal Tracey Kinkead chalked their accomplishments up to their own hard work, dedication, and perseverance. Starting with the principal’s address, the graduation ceremony went from 2 p.m. on, the service followed by a sit-down supper for the grads and their families.
Kinkead kicked the afternoon off by congratulating the now-adults before her. She said the last four years were an introduction to the various directions their learning could now go in, calling the end of high school “the ending of one phase of learning.”
“The one that was assigned and required of you without choice,” she added. “And now with the accomplishment of this diploma you move on to the next phase of learning which is fully yours to choose. Whether it’s a job, career training, post-secondary education, travelling or moving to a new place, there’ll be so much more to learn about yourself and life.”
Kinkead recalled her own past and making her own decisions when she was younger — what she thought was right and wrong, what she thought she knew to be true.
“Now, after many more years of learning, the world doesn’t seem so simple, and my answers don’t flow with such certainty,” she said. “Feeling sure is easy and comfortable. Feeling uncertain is not, but what’s important about allowing uncertainty is it means you’re open to seeing things in a different way, open to learning when life offers it to you.”
She called it the spark that ignites the desire to question, to explore, and to understand. These qualities, the principal said, are what she hopes the graduates will carry forward from their years at ACS.
Kinkead went on to acknowledge the grads will likely forget the period table of elements or how to balance an equation, but what stays with them is the important part — curiosity in learning. Learning, she said, requires the confidence to be wrong and the strength to continue trying.
“While you’re no longer a student of [ACS], I wish for you to always be a curious student of life,” she said. “Each of you have such amazing natural gifts and talents. On this stage there are musicians, actors, athletes, scientists, writers, builders, fixers, and you’re only just beginning to realize those strengths and talents you have.”
She read the Nelson Mandela quote: “Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us”, saying she understands it to mean it’s easier and safer to stay within limitations we put on ourselves. That these self-imposed restrictions are true, and we aren’t good enough to do what we really want to, forever recalculating when we might be able to achieve them.
“Being human means acknowledging that we are bound to make mistakes along the way, and I’ve learned much more in life from what I’ve done wrong than what I’ve done right,” said Kinkead, then adding the Nelson Mandela quote: “I never lose. I either win or learn.”
She told the students to offer themselves the same forgiveness they give to others, and that their graduation day was the “someday” they’ve been waiting for. No matter the path, Kinkead said, the journey will be fascinating.
Guest speaker Teresa Johnson, Lakeshore School Division board trustee, talked about moving from Portugal decades ago due to her father’s belief in learning. Having only completed Grade 3 in Portugal, Johnson’s father wanted his children to have a better future, and Canada had the education system they would need for that.
“When I look around today, I see young adults, the future,” she said. “I know that they have worked hard to get to this place. The education that they have taken part in is truly world class and the envy of many countries globally.”
Johnson told the graduates to hold onto their values as they embark on the next chapter of life, to keep their work ethics and their humanity. She told them to dream high and be happy with who they are, and those qualities will guide them to the future.
Valedictorians Lane Oswald and R.J. O’Sullivan opened their speech by calling graduation day bittersweet.
“We’ve spent the last four years together, growing, learning, and creating memories that have shaped who we are,” said O’Sullivan.
“We’ve laughed together, struggled together, and now, we face the reality of parting ways,” added Oswald. “It’s a tough pill to swallow, knowing that the hallways we’ve roamed and the classrooms we’ve filled with our presence will soon be part of our part.”
The duo said school taught them the value of community and whether it was a sporting event, a school play, or hanging out in a room, each experience together created bonds for the graduating class that will last a lifetime. They told their peers to cherish these memories and to hold onto the lessons they’ve learned, remaining strong, wise, and resilient.
More than 40 awards were given out to ACS’s graduates of 2024. Oswald took home four awards, including the Lakeshore Proficiency Award Candidate and the highest grade in ELA Comprehensive Focus 40S. O’Sullivan got four awards as well, taking home the Steep Rock Beach Park Student Leadership award and the Most Congenial award from the Ashern Legion Poppy Fund, among others. Maria Osmond received more than five awards, including the Top Academic award, the Scheske Family Award, and the top grade in Drama 40S, French 40S, and Essential Math 40S.
“Don’t wait until things are perfect,” said Kinkead to the graduates. “Don’t wait until you feel confident that you can’t fail. Because I don’t believe that time ever comes for most of us. Do the things you love and do the things that are difficult with courage and imagination.”
Express Photos by Tracy Kinkead
