Memoirs of a Grade 7 Valedictorian
It was 1991 in North Delta, B.C. 12 year old Jenny was a bit of a keener and suggested to the elementary school principal that we have a valedictorian that year, then conveniently volunteered for the role. On the last day of school at 2:45pm, I rocked up to the gym wearing this lewk (I’m on the left, with friends Leah and Lesley) and delivered this speech.
Good morning, fellow students, staff and parents.
My past years at Hellings have been very memorable, filled with experiences, good and bad. The 8 years I have been at Hellings (Kindergarten to Grade 7) have all been different, each year with new teachers, faces, experiences and challenges. All around me things have changed, including myself: when I first came to Hellings I was a shy little girl, reluctant to try new things. Now I am willing to try new things, and am not quite as shy, I am reading a speech in front of all of you.
The school has had changes to it too, like the colour of the paint from red to blue, new sidewalks and walkways made, and various trees cut down around the school grounds. There have also been changes inside the school: doors and openings made, classrooms rearranged or moved around, and preschools in and out of the school. And of course teachers have changed, coming to the school, going from the school, some staying for years and years, and others just for a short period of time.
In 20 or 30 years, how will we remember Hellings? Will it be the various teachers we had? Certain years at a time? Classmates through the years? Or will it be another way? Certain days when we dressed up and did something special? Sports days, Christmas concerts, or awards ceremonies? Who knows? Depending on the kind of person you are, everyone will remember it differently.
While our memories of Hellings will be good ones, what will Hellings help us to be in the future? It will help us to benefit society in many ways:
-to help other people, such as in medicine
-to help save or clean up the environment
-to work for peace
-to make scientific discoveries that benefit others
-to teach or educate young people from your own education
-to create poems or paintings
-to write or be an author, teaching with words
-to be a good citizen, tolerant of other races, religions, ideas, concepts, and ways of life
Those are all things that would be helped by our education, in some way or another.
Last but not least, I would like to thank all the staff and teachers of Hellings, who throughout the years have helped my classmates and I learn new things. Their time and trouble was spent well, organizing field trips, fun activities, extra curricular sports activities, band and concerts. Their hard work and effort really paid off, helping us if we were in trouble and teaching us the ways of life.
Thank you.
24 years later…
In 2015, the CBC radio show/ podcast Grown Ups Read ThingsThey Wrote As Kids rolled through Edmonton and I applied to be one of the speakers. It was a bit anxiety inducing but also a lot of fun, the crowd was supportive and it felt like stand up comedy. And all made possible because of 12 year old Jenny’s valedictorian speech.
