With grade 12 graduation around the corner the focus is now shifting to final exams, going away to university and looking back on the memories made.
Timothy Onofrychuk is one of many students graduating, but on top of getting his diploma he will also be taking the stage as the valedictorian for Lloydminster Comprehensive High School (LCHS).
“My best experience from high school is probably taking the advanced placement classes in my grade 12 year. It’s just a really tight knit community of academics that work really well together.”
Throughout his time at LCHS he was involved in many courses and got to see the wide scope of LCHS classes and people.
“An interesting thing about LCHS is just how diverse our class is. I’ve taken industrial arts courses, science courses, math courses and I’ve been with a lot of different people. So I think what I’ve learned is that even though people are so different in our class we can still be united.”
Going forward he reminds his peers to be confident.
“The message I would give to grade elevens or even I guess my classmates is don’t limit yourself, especially to the grade elevens, have the confidence you can do more challenging things.”
A notion Danielle Ferguson, the Education Support Teacher at LCHS, agrees with.
“The sky’s the limit, don’t limit your possibilities. If there’s something you dream about doing or want to try, give it a shot. There’s lots of supports whether it’s past teachers or your peers or community members that can help you with what your dreams are in the future.”
Ferguson works with students who need extra help academically whether it be with time management, study skills or even just knowing that it’s okay to ask for help. She’s says there’s been many success stories over the year.
“I know that lots of students that I’ve worked with have made a connection with a teacher in the school; maybe have started a work placement within the community and have those jobs for employment in the summer or next year. As well as student’s that I’ve worked with, we’ve put supports in place here and we’re transferring those to post secondary, whether it’s apprenticeship or a technical school that they’re going to, to make sure they’re successful.”
As for Timothy, he will be attending the University of Saskatchewan next year in their biomedical sciences program, he hopes to pursue a career in pediatric medicine.
“I’ve worked a lot with people and specifically kids through things like tennis and volunteering and I have formed a passion for working with kids and on top of that, doing a lot of science and having an interest in science has driven me to want to do medicine.”
The grade 12 graduation ceremony will take place on June 29.