GRACE HALPIN

Bowness High School

... We, the 2020 graduates, may feel unseen, unmotivated or unappreciated. But we will be celebrated. Our situation is unique, and so are we ...

Reflecting back, Grade 10 was kind of a blur, most of us hopelessly tried to navigate this new world of high school. We were unsure where our classes were, who our friends would be, and what the year had in store for us . ... Grade 10 was the base of our high school career. The base of this box looked different for everyone ...

Grade 12 is when we put the lid on our box. Maybe at the start of the year, your box was made out of paper, or cardboard. By now, perhaps, it is made of wood or even metal, symbolizing the strength of our ideologies that have shifted throughout our final leg of high school . ... But this is still just an empty box that we have created for ourselves.

Now what? It is a box that is ready to be filled with our future endeavours and achievements. A box that can be taken with you everywhere and you can show people where you came from and what makes you, you. The last three years we have been creating a basis of who we are, and now it’s time to fill it up. Fill it up with love, fill it up with school, money, awards, volunteering and happiness . ... The thing about something as simple as a box is that you can put your old one to the side and create a new one if you don’t like how you put yours together. I don’t know about you, but I have taken this quarantine as a chance to reflect on myself and set goals for my future. Being stuck in my house has reinforced my excitement for the future. Being the class of 2020 is tough, and we are resilient. We will come out of this stronger and more appreciative for the little things that we previously took for granted.

Grace Halpin is the 2020 valedictorian of Bowness High School. To read this speech in its entirety, please go to calgaryherald.com/grad2020.