The final bell has rung for hundreds of high school graduates in Moose Jaw, who now look to the future to either further their education or begin their working careers.
Two such grads are Eric Meili and Michaela DeCorby, who said their final farewells to friends and teachers at Vanier Collegiate recently. Meili, 18, will head to Briercrest College this fall to play volleyball and pursue a business education, while DeCorby, 18, plans to pursue nursing at Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Saskatoon.
Meili said he was glad that high school was over and excited to pursue a new chapter in life. Meanwhile, DeCorby was already focusing on her nursing program — she started doing preparation work for her university classes earlier this year — and was also eager to pursue this new phase.
Sports was a big focus for Meili since he competed on several teams throughout high school, while he fondly recalled winning several championships in volleyball.
“Whenever you come to Vanier every single day, it’s always just a good time (because) you start laughing as soon as you get here, cuz someone’s making a joke or some teachers are just making you feel welcome,” he said.
One activity that Meili appreciated was the welcome week “Valhalla” events that occurred in September. This is where Grade 12s lead Grade 9s in overnight activities at the school.
“There’s never been a day where I can remember being at Vanier (and) being in a bad mood. It’s such a nice atmosphere and everyone is so welcoming and nice,” said DeCorby. “There’s no one in this grade (who) I can say that I don’t get along with.”
DeCorby thought they were lucky to have such a great group of Grade 12s, while she also appreciated her teachers since they were always willing to help.
“I’m going to miss it … ,” she added.
Meili and DeCorby entered Grade 9 in September 2019, and seven months later, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. This forced students to finish the rest of the year learning from home, while it also affected school for the next two years.
“It was quite a shock to our systems,” DeCorby said.
DeCorby was “really, really, really shy” in Grade 9 and barely talked to anyone, so when the pandemic struck, she talked to even fewer classmates.
Upon returning in September 2020 for Grade 10, it felt like she was repeating Grade 9. Wearing masks also made talking to people difficult and making friends challenging.
“It was a lot to take in. In some ways, I’m kind of thankful because it made me step out of my shell more and find myself in ways I hadn’t had to (before),” DeCorby added.
The Grade 9s were becoming comfortable in school when the pandemic hit in March 2020, which was an unfortunate interruption, Meili said. He agreed that returning that September felt like re-starting high school. The first four months were good, but when winter arrived, many students were forced to stay home because they allegedly had the virus.
“By the end of the year in June (2021), basically half the school was gone,” he said, lamenting that the pandemic also cancelled all extracurricular activities during the 2020-21 year.
The pandemic may have been rough, but for DeCorby, she appreciated the presence of vice-principal Carter Davis, who taught her in elementary school before he came to Vanier in her Grade 11 year. She noted that he was there to see her successes and challenges.
“I’ve had a really deep connection with him for over a decade … . It’s been really nice to have him here in my Grade 12 year and to have him even give me my diploma … ,” she said, noting Carter is nice, motivational and supportive.
DeCorby also singled out her mother for supporting her since she “was right about everything” and gave good advice.
Meili appreciated teacher Levi Broda, who had coached him since Grade 9 and was always in the gym, a place the youth frequented regularly. He also singled out business and career teacher Christa Lapointe, since she pushed students to leave their comfort zone and went above and beyond to help them.
“She is a great person,” DeCorby agreed.
Meili will miss seeing his friends in school since they are going in different directions after graduation.
For DeCorby, she will miss Vanier’s welcoming and accepting atmosphere since she felt she could make mistakes and people wouldn’t judge her for them. She also liked how everyone knew her and the school felt like home.
The one aspect of high school Meili won’t miss is the parking lot, which is awful in the winter. Meanwhile, DeCorby won’t miss the cold 7 a.m. soccer practices in the fall.
“I’m really glad I chose Vanier,” she added. “I don’t think there would be any other school I would be this happy at.”
