2018 Valedictory Address

Good afternoon and welcome Chairman Mo Bundon, President Rob Palmarin, special guests, family, friends, and fellow graduates. I cannot express how honoured and humbled I am to be standing in front of you today on behalf of the class of 2018, my best friends. 

We have all worked so hard to be here - and today that hard work will be recognized.  

 

People warned us how quickly it’d go by, we tried not to believe them but boy were we surprised.

 

The past three Junes have been about the excitement of summer, going home and no more school!  

 

This June has been a lot different, we wished time would go by slower as we realized Notre Dame is not forever but rather a stepping stool. 

Our grade 12 year has been quite different from all of the other years. 

 

From the moment “You’re gunna miss this” played at the Rodeo dance, we knew graduation would bring tears.  

 

We had to make every moment count as we knew these 10 months would be our last.

 

And through ups and downs we did it, we leave only fond memories of the past.

 

Graduation is now upon us as we gather as a class one final time. 

 

Many tears will be shed tonight as we realize all that we are leaving behind.

 

As my mom, and our principal says “crying is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength, love and passion.”

 

Our tears tonight will show every ounce of love we have for each other, for our class, and for our ND family as it cannot be rationed. 

 

Thank-you mom for instilling those characteristics as you worked countless hours ensuring all of us would walk across this stage.   

 

And thank you to each and every one of our moms and dads for sacrificing so much to provide us with this opportunity at such a young age.

 

Thank you to our “Hound moms and dads”, the Notre Dame staff, who cared for all of us as their own.  

 

We call them by their first names simply because they are family. It is thanks to you that we have grown.

 

We have grown into the young men and women we are today

You guys walked the walk, and led the way.

 

For each of us wearing a gown today our path to Wilcox was a little different.  Only two roads into town but 69 different paths were made.  Some of us were just 14 years old, leaving home for the first time and holding onto our parents for dear life.  Some of us were glad to finally leave home and for some of us, well, this was not a choice, but just somewhere we had to be.  For a lot of us our purpose here was sports, for some it was to learn English, to get a Canadian education, to continue the family tradition, and for some because their life needed a change of direction and that just happened to be 30 minutes South of Regina. 

For many leaving home was hard.  Sick to our stomachs in September because this small prairie town without even a Tim Horton’s was the last place we wanted to be; and we now find ourselves sick to our stomachs because this small prairie town is the last place we want to leave.

For myself and 9 other townies joining me today, this place was our dream and Wilcox was our home.  Since the moment we could walk, talk, skate, shoot a puck, or bounce a ball (I’m not sure which came first), we dreamt of being Hounds. Attending red and white nights with our faces painted and our jerseys on when the Jr A’s were playing, to attending the first football game of the year at Mosaic stadium, we were all in and only six years old.  To be able to pull that Red and White jersey on for the first time and head out on the ice, to have the entire student body cheering us on, and to be able to wear the gown we wear today and walk across this stage was our dream.  Four years ago that dream became a reality.  Today that dream becomes an accomplishment. 

27 of my fellow Hounds joined me on my Notre Dame journey four years ago.  We were just 13 and 14 years old.  We came in September knowing a few names, having an older sibling already here, or not really knowing anyone at all.  With many laughs, tears, and nerves we quickly became best friends.  As grade nine came and went in the blink of an eye, some moved on, but 28 of us returned, and a fresh batch of some pretty cool kids joined us in grade 10; they instantly joined our family and made our class bond 100 times stronger.  With a core group developed, countless laughs and memories that will last forever, another year passed.  Grade 11 quickly came and we were climbing to the top.  We were young men and women, we knew the ropes, and we were ready to take on the challenge of leading by example.  With yet another group of fresh hounds joining us, the bond became tighter and the memories became fonder.  I think all of us can agree that the grade 11 camping trip might have been one of the best weekends of high school.  And yet another year was behind us on this journey. Into grade 12 we were now the big dogs.  The leaders of the pack.  Again the pack grew larger and the bond became just a tight as we needed it to be. The class of 2018 was complete and determined to make every moment count.

Notre Dame embodied in us three of the most important aspects of life, mind, body, and spirit.  Pere’s little college on the prairies provided my classmates and I with the principles we needed to succeed and grow individually and as a family. We arrived at Notre Dame as individuals, from different backgrounds and from all over the world.  We were here to make the top hockey team, to be the top of the honour roll, to learn the language we needed, we were here for ourselves. It didn’t take long for this place to teach us that’s not what it’s all about.  Very quickly we joined the Notre Dame legacy that started 98 years ago. We are a part of something amazing.  Whether here for a few months, four years, 17 years, or 42 years we are a part of this Notre Dame family.  

Just like anywhere and anything in life, this place isn’t perfect and neither are we.  It’s been a ride, and unlike its geographical location, there have been many ups and downs.  It was a “grind”, 7 a.m. power skating, failing a test, being sent to GLC, dorm jobs, Vars assistant, worklist, I’m sure each of us could think of a few more. Sometimes even getting out of bed in the morning when it’s 40 below and there’s no such thing as a snow day was a struggle.  We all questioned the rules, why they were so strict, we have no freedom, …and now we realize that if it weren’t for the rules, expectations, and accountability put on us here, some of us wouldn’t know that the bathroom floors aren’t usually vacuumed, that vaping isn’t good for us, that staying up until 3 a.m. on a school night is not ideal, and that not being allowed to skip class is actually beneficial.  As Pere said, “Adversity is a bone for Hounds to chew on.”  We stuck it through, we chewed that bone and we became Notre Dame men and women.  

Today all those “struggles” are replaced with fond memories.  The 2:30 a.m. welcome home Hounds from the Telus Cup, the hours spent hanging out in the dorm, R.H.L. and Silverblade rivalries, high school dances and the glow sticks that go along with that, red and white nights (especially when the Pat C’s are in town), blacktop goodbyes which become the hardest night of the year, the smell of everyone’s clothes after pierogi day at lunch, and spending every second of every day with each other.

We have emerged Hounds!  We have developed the characteristics that will make us a better friend, a better wife, a better husband, and a better person.  Just as Pere intended.  You guys are the best people I know and the best friends I have; I know each of you will do amazing things when you leave here today.  So as we struggle to say goodbye tonight, let us remember Notre Dame, let us remember the experiences that have bonded us together and the lessons we’ve learned.  For if there is one thing we didn’t learn in Tay’s physics class, it’s that the connection between Hounds is stronger than any great distance or length of time.  We have a special bond that only Hounds will understand, one that will last us the rest of our lives.  We have done well my friends.  We should be proud of ourselves and of each other.  The world today is looking for us, for Notre Dame men and women, so let’s go show the world what we’ve got. Let’s go leave an impression on the world, as we leave a legacy here today.  Notre Dame will always be our home.  

We will always be Hounds.

 

Thank you and God bless!

 
Jenna MacLean'18
Class Valedictorian 

Watch Video