Mr. Chairman, honorable guests, parents, teachers and fellow graduates, I am deeply honored to be your valedictorian for the graduating class of 1979.
After every step in life – there is always a new and larger step to take, and we usually refer to those steps as our “first years”. For this reason, I think it is appropriate that this graduating class has chosen the theme song “First Years”. As children, when we finished our years of elementary school, we had taken our first step, and had completed our first “first years”.
Then as adolescents, we took our second step; we entered secondary school and began our second "first years". Now, we have completed that phase and stand ready to take the next step and to experience our third “first years”, without a doubt the most compelling ones, the years of maturing into worthwhile and effective adults. Throughout the time of the first years and second first years we experienced the normal times of dejection, of rebellion, but most of all relatively carefree happiness. Now our third “first years” are upon us and demand that we spend less time being carefree, and more time being responsible. We look back now and reminisce on the favorable memories and close friendships we encountered throughout these first years. On the scrolls you receive tonight – there is a quotation by A.H. Maslow; part of which states:
"We are giving up a simpler and easier and less effortful life in exchange for a more demanding; more difficult life. Growth forward is in spit of losses and therefore requires strength in the individual.";
Now really all that is expected of us – and it is expected of us – is that we make the best use of the things that are within our power. Everyone’s life is spent in the pursuit of self-fulfillment, but not everyone reaches his or her goal. The man or woman who truly succeeds is a person who has realized in time that fulfillment does not arise merely from being good at a career, but also from being good at being a good person.
We who are graduating from Kamloops Senior Secondary School tonight, comprise one of the thousands of graduating classes across Canada and among us are perhaps a future Prime Minister, maybe a Governor-General, a Provincial Premiere or a Member of Parliament – all the men and women who will be governing Canada far into the 21st Century.
There are also future industrialists, financiers and business people who will manage the country we call home. In addition there are environmentalists who will protect our nations’ natural resources, as well as the professionals that will look after our Health, education, law and religion.
Yes, we have a job to do and tonight we put aside our past “first years” and with confidence – face our next step – adulthood. Our parents, teachers, counselors and family have always been there to prepare us for this moment, and we can never thank them enough, but now it is up to us. Nineteen seventy-nine brings to a close yet another decade, and our grad class will be building the “first years” of the 1980’s.
In closing, I would like to leave you with this challenge –
We're not where we were - We're not where we’re going - But we're on our way!
