Dressed in beautiful gowns and formal attire, the Grade 9 graduating students of Neerlandia Public Christian School accepted bibles and diplomas with smiles, handshakes and quiet jokes, yet the ceremony itself, which was held on June 28, was a bittersweet affair.
Guest speakers such as librarian Brenda Gelderman and Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken had words of encouragement to share with the students, reinforcing the graduates’ theme of ‘Stay On The Path’ which was taken from Proverbs 23.
“This whole graduation thing is a really big deal,” Gelderman said to the students at the beginning of the ceremony. “Believe it or not, we’re actually going to miss you. Before we let you go though, I wanted to let you know that the verse and theme you’ve chosen, of staying on the path, these are important things to keep with you.”
Gelderman added: “Life might not always be easy, but it wont always be hard either, and this path you’re on is the right one.”
van Dijken agreed.
“It is truly a pleasure to congratulate you as you move forward from this school and onward with your lives, as your MLA and on behalf of the province and this community,” he said, adding the graduates had the privilege and distinction of being the very first class to graduate from the newly built facility.
“That is something you can always keep with you,” he added.
