Niverville High School finally getting to celebrate inside their new building

On October 29, 2019 Mayor Myron Dyck together with staff, teachers and staff of the Niverville High School, cut the ribbon officially opening the brand new facility. And now, two and a half years later, principal Kimberley Funk is more than excited to final host their first graduation ceremony inside their school building.   

“Yeah, it has been an interesting last three years to say the least. There have been a lot of ups and downs as everyone knows and has encountered themselves. Lots of challenges, but I'm happy to say that we have really been blessed here with a fabulous group of students, a wonderful dedicated bunch of teachers that have just all rallied together and I'd say in despite of adversity, we've really come through this better than we may have expected. And yeah, we're proud of where we are.” 

Funk says they have 75 graduates this year, which is the biggest group they’ve had so far. She describes this group of grade 12 students as “hard workers. They're dedicated. I think that's maybe what got them through some of this, is just their perseverance and level of resilience. They've embraced this year and really made the most of it. They are engaged and positive and they make me smile on a regular basis.” 

Jordan Buys, Niverville High School Class of 2022 Valedictorian

One individual from that group stands out just a bit more, Jordan Buys, Niverville High School class of 2022 valedictorian. Buys says about the honour, “I'm really excited. I think this is a big step for our school, with it being the first ever real graduation ceremony we're putting on at NHS. Being named valedictorian is a big honor and a big opportunity.” 

Buys says their class is a very close group of dedicated individuals. “And it’s a super incredible honor to be able to be the face of that and move them forward into the next stage of life that is coming our way.” 

As for the past two years of the pandemic, Buys says, “this class specifically came together and we were able to overcome and adapt to the situations we were put in and we continued to push ourselves to new heights and new experiences and kind of maintained the status of excellence this class has been known for, which really goes to show how great our group is and it shows that no matter what comes our way in the future, if we can survive online-schooling and the worst winter we've had in years, we're probably going to be ok moving forward.” 

Buys shares these words with his fellow graduates of 2022, “I think at the end of the day what I'd hope people focus on is moving forward. You know, each of us is going to walk out these doors at the end of the day. We will walk out these high school doors for the last time and we’ll be taking with us a clean slate. Everybody gets to move forward from this point on. Free of whatever negative feelings they might have had at the school, whatever problems they may have gotten into and they get a chance to start fresh with the lessons that they've learned over the past couple of years and really just make something of their own, for themselves. And they get a chance to push themselves forward in that way and create something that, hopefully, they can be proud of in years to come. I hope the grads can keep that in mind and not look past the chances that they're given. This unique opportunity to make something of their own that they can be proud of.” 

Niverville Class of 2022 handprints proudly displayed on the wall inside the school. 

Principal Funk encourages the grads with “I am very proud of them. They should give themselves a pat on the shoulders for getting through the tough times. For sticking together. For encouraging each other, and again a little bit of what Jordan said, if they can get through the craziest past two years, I think they can do anything. This is a high achieving group with lots of goals and talents, so I would just encourage them to pursue their dreams and chase them and make it happen for themselves.” 

Funk says that many of the graduates are continuing with post-secondary studies in the fall and she is very pleased that because of their hard work, these grads will receive an accumulated amount of over $50,000 in scholarships. “I'm really proud of this group.”