Nicholas Donaldson
Thirty-one secondary school and 66 Apprenticeship, Essential Skills, and Post-Secondary School graduates were honoured at the Seven Generations Education Institute’s 26th-annual graduation ceremony here last Thursday.
Held at the Memorial Sports Centre, Ontario Secondary School Diplomas, as well as certificates in Pre-Health Sciences, Indigenous Wellness Addictions Prevention, Culinary Skills, Welding Techniques, and Anishinaabemowin Immersion and Community and Justice Services Diplomas, were awarded.
Bachelor’s degrees also were earned from Laurentian, Queen’s, and Lakehead universities in education, arts, and indigenous social work.
The graduates walked into the arena and around the guests’ tables while a drum group played an opening song.
After sitting down, they listened to an invocation from elder Doris Caribou before SGEI CEO Brent Tookenay addressed the graduates.
“First of all, I’d like to thank the students for choosing Seven Generations,” he remarked.
“We pride ourselves with doing the best we can in order to provide a comfortable, relevant learning environment for everybody.”
Tookenay reminded the students they now are joining many others in the community who have made it through Seven Generations to move on to work, higher education, or just fulfill a lifelong goal to obtain a diploma or degree.
“You guys did it, this is your day, this is about you,” he concluded.
“And thank you.”
Former Ontario premier Bob Rae, who currently is working at Olthuis Kleer Townshend as a legal advisor to the Aboriginal Institutes Consortium, also spoke to the graduates as a special guest.
“It does my heart good to see so many of you here today,” Rae said.
“I’m so proud of what you’ve done,” he added. “I am proud of what you are doing and the accomplishments that have brought you to this great stage.
“I like to think that we are now in a time of renewal, resilience, recovery, and growth,” noted Rae, saying he believes progress now is being made after a “dark period for many years.”
He said it is thanks to the efforts of students and organizations like Seven Generations.
“It’s taken a lot of energy, imagination, and vision to get to this point, so I say congratulations to Seven Generations,” Rae remarked.
He also commended Tookenay on his leadership, and thanked the families and friends who supported the students in their education.
Valedictorian speeches were delivered by Marc Morrisseau (Secondary School) and Anne Poschner (Apprenticeship, Essential Skills, and Post-Secondary), with messages on constant learning and overcoming hardships.
“Yesterday you were a learner,” Morrisseau said. “Today, you are currently a learner and tomorrow you will be, too.
“If there is one thing I want you to take home tonight, it is to never stop learning,” he added.
Poschner, meanwhile, spoke about the struggles in her life, her decision to continue her education, and the support she received, especially from fellow classmates.
“We worked hard, we overcame, and we succeeded,” she said.
“Today we all stand here as an example of not only what hard work and commitment produce, but what happens when a school is a community, completely dedicated to the betterment of our brothers, our sisters, and our friends.”
Each valedictorian received a plaque and a $300 award.
Other awards and bursaries presented included:
•FFHS Academic Athletic Achievement Award (plaque and $100)-Brent Jourdain and Sydney Cowley-White;
•Seven Generations Secondary School Bursary ($500)-Destiny Sadewasser;
•Highest Academic Achievement Award (plaque and $300)-Marc Morrisseau (Secondary), Anne Poschner (Apprenticeship, Essential Skills and Post-Secondary College), and Glenda Henderson (University);
•Seven Generations Secondary School Co-op (plaque and $200)-Cheryl Buckshot;
•Seven Generations Secondary School Outstanding Achievement (plaque and $200)–Cayla Beacham;
•Kenora Rotary Club Bursary ($250)-Gina Peters; and
•Scott Clendenning Bursary (plaque and $500)-Roslyn Tuesday.
