Valedictory Speech

 
Good evening parents, teachers, staff and of course, the graduates of 08. Tonight we gather here to celebrate the great accomplishments done by the grade sevens through the time spent in John Norquay. We are all excited and nervous that soon a new stage in life will present itself. But also sad and disappointed that one has ended.
 
    We have made many sad and happy memories and grew older with this beloved school. Travelling back eight years ago, we were only annoying little kids following the older ones and admiring them. They walked fearlessly through the halls and knew their way. We all thought that one day we will know this school just as well as them. And along the way we learned to read, write, count by two's and tie our shoes. But most importantly made good memories. The excitement of playing tag on the playground, trying to skip on the monkey bars, and swinging higher than all the other swingers. They were all great experiences but there were also not so good times too. Remember the times when we would get in trouble for doing something inappropriate and the teacher would lecture us infront of our peers. The class would grow silent and the atmosphere would change. It was embarrassing because all the attention would turn to you as eyes watched you for a reaction.  We all learned from our experiences and that made us who we are today. We grew from that short little kid to a more mature, wise, and TALLER kid.
 
    When we grow up and think back to the cause our great success we will think of Norquay. Norquay will always be our foundation along with other things. But it was the wonderful people that dedicate themselves to Norquay to make our time spent here so enjoyable. Many sacrificed their time to extracurricular activities from sports to music to school events. We appreciate all the time spent and effort put in. The staff and teachers all helped us in any way possible to grow and learn. They didn’t just do that in their classrooms but also outside the school too. They organized lots of "educational" field trips through the year. We can all agree that the most memorable of them was camp. We had lots of fun but still learned something.
 
    I do feel a bit sorry for the next grades sevens as they might not as have such a memorable experience as us because two teachers will not be returning the following year. They have contributed so many things to this school and the students that have came and gone. Good luck and best wishes to those teachers.
 
    How could we forget about our parents who raised us. They supported us through everything and provided for us. They were our teachers away from school. Somehow, they always made time for our needs and listened to our problems. I don’t think without our parents, teachers, and staff encouraging us each step of the way, would we have made it.
 
    But most importantly we couldn’t have made it through everyday life without our friends. Our friends were there through the thick and the thin. We explored and discovered many things together creating a strong bond. We all would call or chat online with our friends when the day at school ended; telling each other secrets, latest gossip or just asking about homework. For the years we’ve been together our friends became something more than just people we hang with to look cool but someone we could confide in. It will be hard to find new friends in high school as great as the ones we have now. 
 
    Our whole time at Norquay has prepared us for the journey to bigger and better things in life and going to high school will be one of them. Then high school will teach us more and take us even farther. Last year, we we're all excited that we would soon be entering our final year at this school. Then when September came we couldn’t wait to graduate and go to high school. But now when we look back we feel as if the whole year has passed by too fast. Atleast for us to notice what happened along the way. Now we feel like we don’t want to leave this wonderful place where life's easy and we get to see all our friends everyday. I know that most of us don’t want to move on but life wont stop for us. The best we can do is just keep our memories alive with us. So go on and live life to the fullest. Don't disappoint each other and most importantly don’t disappoint yourself. I'm sure you will all go far in life and make high achievements.
 

    Our days left here are limited and soon there will be a final farewell. We will all go our separate ways too pursue our goals in life. But first we should all enjoy tonight. Have a good evening.  

Deanna Leung