The pilot couldn’t understand why so many of his passengers thought it dangerous to fly.
It’s actually more risky for a plane to stay on the ground, he noted, because it rusts, malfunctions and wears much faster than it ever would in the air. Planes are meant to fly.
Valedictorian Ariel Henderson used that oft-circulated narrative to inspire her fellow Hapnot Collegiate graduates, the analogy being that every person was built to live out the dream they carry inside – to fly freely.
And fly freely these 39 young men and women surely will. But Wednesday evening at the Whitney Forum, it was time to reflect, to celebrate a life milestone that demanded 13 years of study and the placement of countless obstacles in the rearview mirror.
“We have all taken a huge first step in life and you’re all capable of everything and anything,” said Henderson, standing at a podium atop a stage, a sea of a few hundred parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends looking on.
“Be proud of yourself and don’t settle for anything less than your dreams. Work hard for what you want.”
Henderson ended her speech by placing her cellphone on a selfie stick and snapping a pic of herself with her fellow grads in the background. The photo was sure to be highly shareable.
Henderson was a tough act to follow, but Corrie Pomaranski did her best. The former Flin Flon teacher shared observations of each individual graduate, calling some compassionate, others kind or charismatic.
Pomaranski’s affection for the graduates was palpable, particularly when she mentioned that some of the female students still call her up to meet for lunch.
“Thank you for caring about me as much as I have for you,” she told those students.
When it came time to dole out advice, Pomaranski observed that people must give what they hope to receive, be it respect, kindness or trust.
She touted the virtues of genuinely listening to others and of treasuring family and friends, as they “are what make you rich.”
Pomaranski made it clear that in life, flawlessness is an impossibility.
“Make as many mistakes as you need to, but own every single one of them,” she said. “Nobody I know is perfect, but the most respected people I look up to are those who can admit when they’ve made a mistake. To err is human, but to deny your errors is not allowing you to learn from them.”
Pomaranski closed her address with heartfelt words.
“You touch a teacher’s life so much more than you even realize,” she said. “You frustrate us some days. You make us laugh on other days. And in the end, you leave a footprint on our hearts.”
Graduates shared in a multitude of scholarships, bursaries and awards. One of the most coveted, Hudbay’s WA Green Bursary – worth $3,000 a year for up to four years – went to Erin Sloboda.
Sloboda also accepted the Governor General’s Academic Medal for achieving the highest academic average of any Hapnot graduate.
The grads sat in rows across a stage overlooking the guests, most of whom occupied chairs on what is usually the ice surface of the Whitney Forum. Others lined the bleachers along the east wing of the arena.
The young men and women looked dignified in black gowns topped with red sashes, emblematic of their school colours. Behind them, affixed to a smooth black curtain, were large cardboard letters spelling out “Class of 2016.”
After the awards and diplomas had been presented, the graduates posed for photos in the arena before making their way outside. There they linked arms and marched down nearby Main Street, shutterbugs and onlookers lining the sidewalks along their route.
The celebration reached into the wee hours of Thursday morning as a social took place at the RH Channing Auditorium. Rides home were provided to ensure a safe end to a night the grads will forever cherish.
Hapnot’s Class of 2016 included 38 traditional graduates and one honourary graduate in Valentina Santacruz Chamorro, a Colombian exchange student who has spent the year in
Flin Flon.
More photos, along with speeches and a complete list of scholarship, bursary and award recipients, will appear in The Reminder’s Hapnot graduation special section this Wednesday, July 6. That edition will also feature our Many Faces Education Centre special section.
