Pender Harbour Grad 2017 Speech

Theme: Family

Good afternoon.

I am School Trustee Christine Younghusband and honoured to be here to bring greetings on behalf of the SD46 Board of Education to the Pender Harbour Secondary Elementary School Class of 2017. Trustee Lori Pratt sends her regrets. As many of you know, she is currently in Germany and could not be here today.

Congratulations to you… the Class of 2017. Today marks the end of your K-12 journey with School District 46. You’ve endured many changes in your school and you had the courage to jump in with two feet with flex blocks, STEM, and learning online to make your learning experience at PHSS worthwhile and engaging.

This year, I had the pleasure of working with Student Trustee Maribeth Haines on the Board of Education. It was a joy to work with Maribeth at the board table. She represented the District Student Leadership Team and Student Voice well. Thank you Maribeth for your year of service on the Board. We are very proud of you.

My appreciation for Pender Harbour Secondary is the smallness of your school. Because of this, you had to innovate, create, and take risks. You’ve become leaders within our school district and province. You are also a FAMILY. Everybody knows everybody. You can’t hide. And, this knowing makes you stronger and wiser.

You are an integral part of this learning community that is embedded in a larger community, who supports and loves you. Thank you Pender Harbour Secondary staff, scholarship & bursary contributors, and volunteers who took part in the learning experiences of this graduating class. It took all of you to make this happen.

On behalf of the SD46 Board of Education, we congratulate you, the Graduating Class of 2017, and we wish you all the best in your future endeavours. Thank you!