Jul 04, 2013


There was standing room only at the cafetorium at Sharbot Lake High School on June 26, where friends and family gathered to celebrate the achievements of the last official graduating class from SLHS. The school is slated to be demolished once the new Granite Ridge Education Centre is completed and that fact made for an especially lively, emotional and very energetic ceremony that saw numerous graduates receive multiple awards, trophies scholarships and bursaries.

The commencement program included addresses by Principal Heather Highet, Vice-principal David Russell, senior management director with the Limestone District School Board, Brenda Hunter, and School Trustee Ann Goodfellow, as well as live musical entertainment courtesy of the SLHS band. Meaghan Kirby introduced the valedictorian of 2013, Cadence Cumpson, whom she described as spirited, kind, genuine, determined, bubbly - in a nutshell - a fireball.

Cadence took on a leadership role in many areas of the school while simultaneously working hard and succeeding academically. She was active in athletics, music, student council and many other special school events. In her address Cadence proved those descriptors to be true and made a very humorous, moving and impassioned speech about the school she entered four years ago as a grade nine newbie and how the staff and students there all helped to shape and inform her. She spoke about many memorable events and her easy speaking nature and fine sense of humour made the final valedictory address a memorable one.

Congratulations to all of the graduates, who will long be remembered as the last to graduate from Sharbot Lake High School.

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