Elisabeth Heslop
The day finally came as the 205 students of Fort Frances High School’s “Class of 2009” donned their caps and gowns last Thursday evening at the Memorial Sports Centre.
In a time of economic uncertainty, when job availability and security are increasingly becoming concerns, one would expect the grads to be quite discouraged. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.
“I’m fairly optimistic,” said Fort High vice-principal Al McManaman. “I think there are always trends economically that our students, and students across the world, have to face.
“I think that’s why we teach certain things about life skills.”
He noted this year’s graduating class won’t all be heading in the same direction.
“A small percentage . . . will come back to high school to get some more courses that they think they might need for later on,” McManaman said.
Of the rest, “some will travel, college, apprenticeships, and university, and then a few also will hit the world of work, so it’s a smattering all over the place,” he remarked.
Grad Josh Stevens has the next year planned out, although his plans after that are not yet complete.
“I’m going to have a victory lap,” he smiled. “There are a couple computer courses they didn’t offer the year before so now I’m going to go back and do it. . . .
“And after that it’s computer technician at some college somewhere in Ontario or Canada even.
“I don’t know, it’s still out there.”
Stevens did a co-op this year at Northland Basics here, working alongside the computer technicians there, so he got a chance to determine what career path he wants to follow.
Fellow grad Kurtis Hill also is a little unsure of what the next few years will hold.
“I might be coming back next year [to high school],” he noted. “If not, I’ll be going to Sault Ste. Marie to college for business.
“I’m not entirely sure what I want to do yet, so it doesn’t hurt to stay back a year,” Hill reasoned.
Hill added the troubled economy very well may influence his decisions.
“That’s another reason for staying back,” he remarked. “If I’m able to see how it plays out for another year, I’ll maybe know a bit more about what’s going to happen.”
Other Fort High graduates, like Sarah Mallory, are sure of their plans for this fall and for the next few years. Mallory said she’s going to attend the Thunder Bay campus of Confederation College for three years, then on to Lakehead University to study education.
She said she thinks most of her classmates are going to go to university, and many of them likely will go to Thunder Bay.
Whatever their immediate plans, McManaman said he’s not worried about these young people.
“I think most people are resilient and they will learn to adapt to the environment and will end up participating in meaningful thoughts and meaningful work,” he said.
“It may not be next year, it may not be two years, but I’m confident that it’ll happen,” he stressed.
