Individuality shows in Neelin Class of 2015
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/06/2015 (3816 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The École secondaire Neelin High School Class of 2015 put a personal spin on the traditional graduation ceremony.
Neelin’s annual graduation ceremony was held at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium on Thursday, with 101 students receiving diplomas.
Class valedictorian Maheshver Shunmugam said he could usually hold back his emotions, but yesterday he had a difficult time doing so.
“It’s exciting, but it’s also kind of sad. This might be the last time that I see some of these guys. But I’m looking to make the best of it today,” Shunmugam said.
He was elected valedictorian because of his involvement with extracurricular activities during his years at Neelin.
“I happen to do a few things here and there. So I’m happy to represent this class,” he said.
Shunmugam has played soccer and badminton, along with being student council president and a member of the choir among many other activities.
“I just do what I like. It’s no longer obligations, it’s just more I’m having fun,” he said.
He spoke of how his class feels like a family after four years spent together.
He also joked about how his friends and family had tried to steer him into attending Vincent Massey instead of Neelin when he was in Grade 8. But now at his grad, he said he has realized that they were all wrong and he should have attended Crocus Plains.
The Class of 2015 showed a lot of individuality during its ceremony.
During the opening song, students from the choir were accompanied by a fellow classmate who beat boxed — imitating the sounds of a drum machine using his voice. While handing out the diplomas, one student took a “selfie” with principal Michael Adamski and another performed a front flip.
When Joseph Walters’ name was read out to accept his diploma, another student ran out to the front of the stage holding her phone — on the other end of a FaceTime call was Walters and his brother Samuel, both of whom could not attend the ceremony. They were still able to be part of it thanks to modern technology.
Everyone in the auditorium cheered and the brothers enjoyed a quick conversation with Adamski.
This year marked a change in the normal ceremony protocol for Neelin.
“We’re incorporating our scholarships into this which is new for us,” said graduation co-ordinator Whitney Kreller-Lamont. “The other schools have always done that, but we’re kind of excited to see that develop and change.”
The awards and scholarships that each student had won were read out during the ceremony when they were handed their diplomas.
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