Iona school celebrates grads
IONA — Rankin School of the Narrows, a small rural school in Iona, had 135 students this year from grades primary to 12, according to principal Theresa MacNeil.
MacNeil recently told the SaltWire Network there are three graduates in the class of 2020: Innis MacMullin, Cody MacNeil and Max Moeller.
“These young men have been together for most of their school years,” MacNeil said. “They have all been excellent students throughout school and have participated in school and extracurricular activities. They are wellrounded individuals.”
MacMullin, who was the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Medal and the Margaret Rose MacNeil Memorial Award, plans to study environmental science at Saint Mary's University in the fall.
During a recent interview, MacMullin said he enjoyed going to a small school in a rural community.
“Especially at school, it was nice to have everyone know you,” he said.
“We had respect for the teachers, and they had respect for us. Most teachers there have been the same teachers that were there when I first started attending Rankin in Grade 1, so they get the opportunity to actually see us develop as people.”
MacMullin is looking forward to adjusting to life at a large university.
“The teachers always guided us on how to create university-appropriate work, what resources we need and how to find them. It will be a jump going from three in your class to 150, but I know each of us will do well because of how our teachers prepared us,” MacMullin said.
Moeller is also attending Saint Mary's in the fall and is looking forward to studying computing science.
Moeller was the recipient of the Governor General's Medal and the Alexis Gillis Memorial Award.
“Rankin has done an exceptional job preparing me for my career aspirations, particularly through the Options and Opportunities Program, which allowed me to take part in three 100 hour internships at various tech companies,” Moeller told Saltwire.
“My favourite memories of high school are the class trips to companies around the region as well as the trips to various competitive sporting events across the province.”
MacNeil will be studying automotive service and repair at a Nova Scotia Community College campus.
He was the recipient of the John C. MacKinnon Memorial Award.