Eden Valley graduates have something to be proud of – this class is the school’s first where all grads received diplomas after 12 years of classes.
“I graduated at 17, which is really important to me,” beamed Kayden Daniels, donning a graduation gown and cap. “Every other graduating class had some students that were 18 or older.”
Daniels was among three Eden Valley students to accept diplomas at a June 20 ceremony at Chief Jacob Bearspaw Memorial School in Eden Valley, west of Longview. He was joined by Sharlee Lefthand and Evonie Lefthand.
“My grandparents raised me really good,” said Daniels. “They always found a way to keep me in school.”
Graduation is bittersweet for Daniels, who while excited about his achievement is leaving the community to work at a nearby ranch.
He plans to pursue a career as an RCMP officer.
“I am going to miss school and I’m going to miss picking on teachers,” he said with a grin.
For valedictorian Evonie, it was her father’s death three years ago that gave her the drive to never give up.
“I did it for him,” she said. “He wanted me to graduate. I came here every day and studied hard. It was a long journey but I fought hard to get where I am today.”
Evonie plans to pursue a master’s degree in social work.
“I’m the kind of person who likes to help people,” she said. “I have five younger siblings and I encourage them. I would like them to achieve something in life.
“I would like them to have goals and have something in life.”
Sharlee also has plans for the future. She wants to take a baking course at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
“I knew that if I gave up I would have nowhere to go and nothing to do,” she said.
“The beautiful thing about learning is no one can take it away from us. It will be ours forever.”
During a speech at the ceremony, Sharlee thanked school staff, parents, grandparents and siblings for helping the graduates achieve their goals.
“Without your help and support we would not be here,” she said. “The last 12 years have been a tough road. Thank you for believing in us when we doubted that you were right.”
Several members of the Eden Valley community spoke highly of the graduates’ determination to achieve their dreams.
“This is the dream we have, to see our kids graduating high school with Alberta high school diplomas,” said Eden Valley Bearspaw Band Coun. Rex Daniels, who is Kayden’s grandfather and helped build the school in the late 1990s.
“The hardest part is getting up in the morning and going to school. You guys achieved the first step.”
Wes Malo, Stoney Education Authority acting superintendent, said the graduates are a shining example to those behind them.
“They are leaving these memories that will inspire the children who come next,” he said. “They will be able to pass on that path of knowledge to those below them. We have more and more graduates each year that we stand and applaud.”
Malo considers the graduates’ guardians their first teachers.
“You raised them to be who they are,” he told those in attendance. “You encouraged them to be the best and we thank you for that.”
Principal William Shade gave kudos to those who helped the graduates achieve their dreams.
“These things don’t happen without the support from the community,” he said.
“It’s all of us working together.”
Helena Clute, a former teacher selected by the graduates as the ceremony’s guest speaker, recalled special memories of each graduate.
She remembers Sharlee hanging outside the school before she was old enough to attend class.
“You wanted to know what was going on behind that door,” she said to Sharlee.
“You showed your determination at a very young age and I hope you use that determination to discover your future goals.”
She remembers Evonie as someone who stuck up for what she believed in.
She shared one story where a young Evonie had locked herself in the bathroom, demanding she was on strike.
“We didn’t even know what she was protesting,” Clute laughed.
Clute’s memories of Kayden were of him bouncing his basketball and always asking “why?”
“You have learned the answer to ‘why,’” she said. “You can all be proud of yourselves for accomplishing this goal and it’s not an easy goal.”
English and social studies teacher Shannon Beck said this graduating class began with 14 kindergarten students, but circumstances such as moving, home schooling and unfortunate cases like drugs and pregnancy reduced the graduating class to just three.
“These three seem to have their heads on their shoulders pretty straight,” she said.
“They are the first full, age-appropriate diploma grad class. We’ve had 17-year-old grads before but they were part of a larger group.”
Beck said this group is one of the largest graduating classes. There were no graduates last year, six two years ago and one during her first year as a teacher, she said.
With the recent implementation of the Read 180 program and Mathletics, Beck expects to see larger graduating classes in the future. She said these programs help bring students’ literacy and math skills to grade level while focusing on their individual abilities.
“As we see that keep going, our classes are going to get bigger and bigger,” she said. “And when the younger students see what a big deal we make for the grads they will say, ‘I want that too.’”
