A love for all things school propelled an Okotoks student through her final years at Holy Trinity Academy. Abby Griffiths has been part of Christ the Redeemer Catholic Schools since kindergarten, having attended both St. Mary’s School and Good Shepherd for elementary, then moving on to St. John Paul II Collegiate before attending HTA – which she has called a “brilliant experience.” “I feel like it’s the staff more than anything, the teachers really care about not only their students, but their field of study,” said Griffiths. “It makes it more enjoyable to try to learn things when the people who are teaching you are interested as well.” Her own interests are varied. Griffiths couldn’t tell you her favourite school subject – she likes chemistry, physics, English, social studies, and even math, even though she’s struggled with it a little. The one that stands out for her, though, is biology, which she plans to study at St. Mary’s University in the fall. “I like that biology answers things,” said Griffiths. “So I might go into something medical, either with animals or with people, I don’t know. Maybe even research.” What really interests her is studying the body and how it works, she said. And though she cringed at the cliché, Griffiths said she hopes to help people one day. High school hasn’t been all work and no play. Griffiths played basketball in Grade 10 and 11 before deciding to focus more on school during her senior year. She also runs track and took up cross-country running this year. “I’m going to do both cross-country and track at St. Mary’s,” said Griffiths. “I’ve already started running with the school for cross-country and I’ll work up to more of the track stuff.” Though her favourite track event is javelin, St. Mary’s University has an indoor track team, so Griffiths is training to take on running events instead. She has also enjoyed taking art classes through high school, which she said was aided by her interest in biology. “I find it actually really helps with drawing, knowing the structures of the body,” said Griffiths. Beginning her post-secondary education at St. Mary’s is a strategic move. Not only can she live at home and keep her part-time job at Tom’s House of Pizza, Griffiths said the small class sizes were attractive to her. “I liked the classes aren’t going to be hundreds of people, so I’ll actually get to ask questions and interact with my professors,” she said. “I’m hoping I will go to a bigger university later on, but for now it’s a really good opportunity to go somewhere smaller.” However, moving from high school into university is proving to be a “bittersweet transition,” she said. “I do love all my friends and the school, but I’m ready to go forward and do something new,” said Griffiths. “I will miss it, but at the same time I’m ready to move on. Change will be cool.”
