“How fast three years has gone and what an impressive set of accomplishments Barriere Secondary School has seen,” said principal Jonathan Brady during graduation ceremonies on Friday, May 27, held in the Barriere Curling Rink.
Brady told the audience that the graduates have participated in numerous provincial and national programs.
“For the past two years Barriere Secondary has not received negative press from the Fraser Institute for being the lowest performing school in the district. In actuality, we have been the highest performing rural school!
“Students have travelled to Ottawa with the Encounters with Canada program. Three graduates travelled to Ottawa and Moncton to present business plans as a part of the E-Spirit program that promotes entrepreneurialism for aboriginal youth. The BC Netball team had two Barriere girls compete at the National tournament in Montreal – one was a graduate. Leader of the official opposition in BC Youth Parliament was a Barriere graduate. The Me to We program has involved many of Barriere students, but one graduate has been involved with building a school in Ecuador and fundraising activities to help those less fortunate, and one of our graduates has won the Western Canadian Soroptimist International award for the promotion of women and humanity.”
He noted the 2011 Barriere Secondary Class “has already achieved great things”.
“You have endured bumps, bruises, highs and lows on your journey through your public education. I want to encourage you to take a chance. Don’t be average!,” said the principal. “I encourage you to step out of that traditional thinking. Education and learning comes in many different forms and through many mediums. I encourage you to take chances, be brave, look for opportunities that others do not see and most importantly, be an individual.”