Grade 8 Graduation 2018

Rockway’s 32nd Grade 8 Graduation took place on Thursday, June 14, 2018. The celebration began with a delicious meal at Schmidtsville Restaurant in Wellesley including the students, their teachers and several administrators, prior to the ceremony that began at 7:30 p.m. Graduation diplomas are awarded to students who have successfully completed the Grade 8 course of studies as defined by the Ministry of Education. We celebrate that there were thirty-one students who received their Grade 8 diplomas from Rockway this year!

I asked Grade 8 teachers to describe the Grade 8 class and they noted it is a class that has valued friendships, met individual challenges in varied areas of interest and it is a class that was willing to combine efforts and work toward a common goal like running across Canada. They were also a class that liked to mix food and fun together! We are grateful for the valuable and vital contributions they have made to the Rockway community!

Bert Lobe, past principal of Rockway Mennonite Collegiate (1989-1996) and grandfather to graduate, Josh Lobe, gave the graduation address entitled, “Trust is Possible.” Lobe reflected on some wonderful stories of his past including memories of him being a student followed by compelling stories of his experiences living abroad. Through these stories, he impressed upon the graduates that life is not an individual journey, rather, life is about team, about belonging to a family, about valuing “grand” parents, about being part of a community so that they can leave home with confidence, ready to explore the world. He encouraged them to consider who they are, and what they want to be, figuring out their passions which “always leads into purpose!”

Lobe concluded his address by reflecting that trust is only possible when you:

• Know who you are, when you know your story· Practice and live out what you have learned to be right, and wrong
• Do what’s right over what is fun, fast, or easy
• Consistently do what you say you will do
• Apologize for a mistake made
• Keep your work
• Welcome a friend or stranger without judgement
• Assume the best

On behalf of Rockway’s Board of Directors, Faculty and Staff, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of our Grade 8 Graduates! I look forward to seeing many of them continue to “form faith and build character” as they launch into high school this fall!

Ann L. Schultz
Principal

The post Grade 8 Graduation 2018 appeared first on Rockway Mennonite Collegiate.

Source: Rockway.ca