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Wednesday, June 20, 2012 Terrace Standard
TERRACE STANDARD
COMMUNITY
MARGARET SPEIRS
(250) 638-7283
Centennial Christian celebrates CENTENNIAL CHRISTIAN School graduated its third largest class ever in a ceremony held June 7. Principal Edgar Veldman described the 16-member class as tight knit and made up of high academic achievers. “Very, very strong academically. That’s what I would say. They really challenged each other and they really excelled,” he said of the class. A good number of the class is headed either to college or university in Canada and one student is going to attend post secondary school in Europe, Veldman added. He said he wouldn’t be surprised if a large number of the graduates also qualify for $1,000 scholarships that come from writing provincial exams. One highlight of the grad class for this year was a trip by ferry to the Alaska Panhandle and then on to the Yukon before returning south via bus to Terrace. “They really bonded; they really came together on that trip,” said Veldman. The school’s largest grad class was 22 in 2010 and second highest was 19 in 2005. During the June 7 ceremony, scholarships were presented. The 24 scholarships come from local businesses and groups, from the school board, from local people and from the school’s teachers and groups within the school. A list of scholarship recipients is available by going to www.terracestandard.com and clicking on the community section.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
CENTENNIAL CHRISTIAN’S 2012 grad class is, back row left to right - Matthew Buxton, Leareza Robinson, Brixton Sandhals, Jacob Mantel, Tyler Struyk, John Duncan, Maggie Haley, Amadeus Derrick. Front row, Monika Behnke, Miranda Tuininga, Sara Nutma, Karyn Roseboom, Krizia McDonough, Aimee Pelletier, Dorian George, Dorothy Jedrzejczyk. This is the school’s third largest grad class ever.
Parkside graduates prepared AFTER THE busiest year Parkside Secondary School has seen in history, around 40 graduates are ready to take on life’s next phase. And after graduating from a school that has a teaching style that is different than the traditional high school approach, many grads are grateful for their teachers and counsellors, and the alternative learning environment they experienced at Parkside. “I’m hoping to get into college,” said graduate Audriana Azak. She wants to study early childhood development. She said she was going to miss one of her teachers, Mike Havanas, the most. “He taught English, communications,” she ANNA KILLEN PHOTOS
AT TOP: Parkside valedictorian Raylena Lacroix moments before her valedictorian address at the school’s grad ceremony on June 14. AT RIGHT: Parkside’s 2012 graduating class readies for their final class photo. Friends and family of the grads attended the ceremony, held at the REM Lee Theatre on Thursday, June 15. Staff member Amber Pipe (not pictured) took the class picture.
said. “He was just awesome to have.” Valedictorian Raylena Lacroix sang Parkside’s praises as well. “I learned more in Parkside than Cal, Skeena, and the other schools I attended before,” said Lacroix, outside of the REM Lee Theatre June 14 as her class was lining up outside the lobby before the big ceremony. “I’m going to miss my friends,” she said. “A lot of them are leaving to study elsewhere, so I won’t get to see them again.” Lacroix feels ready for the next step in life. “I’m hoping to go to the college here,” she said. “Take a food course, and one day
own my own restaurant.” She’s also considering becoming an electrician — she has been working with her uncle on her house, and he’s been showing her the ropes. “So, I have two different paths in mind. One of them will work out,” she said. But first, she has to get through her valedictorian address — a task that is more than a little unnerving, she said. “I’m going to talk about stuff students have had to overcome, pressures, difficulties with friends, boyfriends and family. How we all go through these things and what we can learn from them,” she said, before running off to join her class.