A pair of Eden Valley students recently marked a major milestone surrounded by family and friends.
Grade 12 students Royelle Daniels and Sara Lefthand celebrated their high school graduation during a ceremony at Chief Jacob Bearspaw Memorial School on June 26.
The members of Bearspaw First Nation, part of the Stoney Nakoda Nations, were joined by dozens of family and friends at the ceremony that included dinner, drumming, prayers, speeches and gifts for the grads.
Lefthand was class valedictorian and said a few words during the ceremony.
“I just want to thank you all for being here with us, celebrating our last days of high school,” Lefthand told the audience.
The two students overcame many hardships in their lives, she said.
“Looking into the future, I know that we'll accomplish many things because we have already accomplished one of them.”
She thanked school staff for their encouragement and said the teachers did their best to prepare the grads for the future.
“You guys had such a great impact on our lives, and really showed how much you truly care about us and our education.”
The school gym was decorated with ribbons, balloons and lights for the celebration, and the grads walked down a red carpet to their seats at the head table.
Following the celebration, Daniels said although it feels awesome to graduate, she is a little scared for the next chapter.
“But I’m ready for it,” she said.
She plans to become a paramedic.
The theme of the celebration honoured another student who didn’t get the chance to graduate, she said.
“A few years back, there was a student who wanted to do the Hollywood theme,” Daniels said, “but because of things that happened, he didn’t end up graduating. This was sort of for him.”
Her best memory from school is a recent trip to Kelowna when she was paddleboarding with her fellow grad.
“She was beside me, and I tried standing back up on the board, and I ended up falling in,” Daniels said. “And she started laughing, and she almost fell in, too.”
Lefthand said that graduating is an amazing feeling.
“I feel so good to finally accomplish one of my goals.”
She plans to attend a bible college in September and said she enjoyed shop class so much that she wants to take up carpentry.
During the event, speeches were made by teachers, officials from the Stoney Education Authority and members of Stoney Tribal Council, who spoke in both Stoney and English.
