St. Thomas Aquinas High School Honours Graduating Students
Eighty students crossed the stage for the last time at St. Thomas Aquinas high school last night, as they accepted their diplomas and moved their grad cap tassel from the left side to the right. The 2018 graduation ceremony celebrated the achievements of yet another incredible group of students.
"They're an amazing group of students, and they're going to leave behind a huge legacy and we're very proud of them," said Director of Education for the Kenora Catholic District School Board, Phyllis Eikre. "I want to congratulate each and every one of them and I hope the students take what they've learned at St. Thomas Aquinas with them moving forward. They've learned such valuable life lessons."
Bishop Fred Colli, the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Thunder Bay, gave the opening prayer after congratulating the students. St. Thomas Aquinas is one of three high schools in the Diocese.
"St. Thomas Aquinas is a smaller high school, only 80 graduates compared to 250 in Thunder Bay, but I think every one of our Catholic high schools is filled with such a wonderful spirit. It's a spirit of fellowship, of friendship in the school, of appreciation for what they've received in their education, and a spirit that will encourage them in the future to use their gifts not only for themselves but for others as well," said Bishop Colli.
This year's Valedictorians were Matthew Favreau and Shelby Leroux. While addressing his fellow graduates, Favreau focused on staying true to who you are.
"You can never really tell 100 per cent where you're going. People change careers and where they live, but no matter what happens they'll always be able to decide what type of person they are going to be," he said.
Favreau was this year's recipient of the prestigious Director's Award of Excellence. He is off to the University of Ottawa in September, where he will study music.
Leroux is off to the University of Manitoba where she'll major in math before heading into education. She spoke about what she'll miss the most about St. Thomas Aquinas.
"I'll miss the teachers. All of the teachers here are incredibly caring and so dedicated to their work. I'll miss that experience," she said.
After their speech, the graduating class of 2018 was introduced and the only thing left to do was toss their caps in the air in celebration of four years of hard work.
For a full listing of awards and bursary recipients please click on the link below: