My fellow graduates, some of us have come from different lifestyles, different schools and even different countries. Some of us have been here since kindergarten, some of us have only been here for a few years. One thing is for sure, we are all part of Norquay School.
        I am Sharan Pawa and I am here to acknowledge Norquay, to reflect on our experiences as students and to thank all the people who helped us along the way.
        Together with our families, friends, and Norquay staff, we are here tonight to create a new memory. This tonight our grade 7 graduation. We will remember this night for a long time as it is a celebration of our completion of 8 years of elementary school and a recognition of moving ahead to highschool.
        Memories are important because you can look back on them and think of the good times. We have made a lot of good times at Norquay school.
        During our time here we have seen many changes. If you were here in gr. 5, you would have been able to see the new wing being built. We were happy to get rid of those old portables. They were cramped and cold and it took people 10 minutes to get back from a washroom break. The new wing has been a great addition to our school.
        Certainly one of the most unwelcomed things we were expected to do were the Foundation Skills Assessment tests. Some of us even didn’t show up for these tests, but we all eventually had to finish them. We’re glad those are over!
        Our school has given us great opportunities to learn valuable skills. One of the most interesting things we as grade 7's did was learn to compose our very own musical composition on a computer and then record all the tracks on to a CD. We have also had the opportunity to sing in a choir under the teachings of Mr. Colpits and have been able to do extra activities such as basketball, flag football, recorder, soccer, kardio funk, track and field, cross country and volleyball. All with the help of our teachers.
      This year, all of the grade 7 students of Norquay went to Camp Jubilee in May. The camp was situated on the rocky beach of the beautiful Indian Arm. We hiked, kayaked, canoed, and so much more. We learned new things with new people again. We have to thank the our teachers and volunteers for making this trip possible. Camp was so much fun and a wonderful experience. None of the grade 7 students will ever forget it. I’m sure our parents were glad too that we were out of their hair for 3 days!!
      You probably also remember Mrs. Smith our former principal and our new principal and vice principal Mrs. Wynston and Mr. Porrit joing the staff of Norquay School. Mrs Gunthar our secretary retired, and sadly we lost Mrs. Short very suddenly.  We were very honored to have them here with us and we will always remember them and everything they had done for us.
       We may sometimes not realize it but Norquay is a big part of our lives. We have come here  almost every day, every week, for every month for many years. Everyday we come and see our teachers, and everyday they come and see us. They have taught us a lot, like reading, writing and math. Our teaches do a great job but they also do a lot more for us that they are not payed to do.  They often stay after school, to run extra after school activities, talk to our parents and give us individual teaching time. The teachers and staff members help us a lot and if they were gone, this school would be filled with crazy, wild children running around. We don’t acknowledge our teachers enough, but without them there would be no school.
        Our parents have also helped us a lot, firstly by having registered us into Norquay school and by pushing us to succeed. Yes, they do make us do our homework and sometimes don’t allow us to do what we want to do (unless you’re one of those kids that likes doing homework!) But without studying and learning we would not be able to progress and succeed in life. Our parents have done everything that they could do to support us and we appreciate them for including our busy school timetables into their lives somehow, so that we would get an education.
        We have created relationships here that we have never had before and ones that may last throughout our lives. These people are the ones we call our friends. People that you see 5 days a week. Friends that you trust and who trust you, who you care about and who care about you. People you have learned with and shared experiences with and finally, they are the people that you have fun with. You may not have the same best friends as you did in gr.1, but you hopefully have new and better friends each year. Your friends help you, and you help them. Without Norquay school, these people we now call our friends would simply be strangers on the street.
        These are our last few days of elementary school. As we take one more step further in to our lives, all of our familiar surroundings will change and time will force us into a different place.
        We have been here for a long time, some of us even 8 years. It is hard to imagine leaving this place. This place that has made us feel capable, confident and safe.  It makes us sad to know, that we will never be taught by the same  teachers again, we will no longer hear the morning music, we won’t be part of sports day, we can’t look forward to hotdog and pizza lunches, we won’t participate in all the fun extra activities or just even be allowed to hang out together at the basketball court. We are going into high school now and everything will seem different and challenging but so exciting too.
        So we say goodbye to some of our friends and learn to let go of our enemies. Let us embrace the path that lies in front of us. It’s up to us,  my fellow classmates, to make the choices that will lead to a better future. So make your decisions wisely and be the most you can be. Thank you John Norquay Elementary School for giving us a great beginning.
Thank you.     -Sharan Pawa