Brentwood College School - Brentonian Yearbook (Mill Bay, British Columbia Canada)

Page 18 text:

Valedictory Address Honoured Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of Staff, Fellow Graduates: I suppose I should begin my valedictorian address by thanking my fellow graduates for electing me to this post. Indeed, the extreme terror I am experiencing at this moment seems almost trivial in comparison to the great honour I feel in being awarded this privilege. The past year has run smoothly. Our efforts on the playing fields, in the classrooms, and in all aspects of school life have resulted in much pleasure, benefit and success. Our achievements are due in no small part to the efforts of the faculty and house staff. On behalf of the graduating class, may I express my sincere gratitude to these people for the huge sacrifices they have made on our behalf. So this is it. As of today our lives shall follow diverging paths. No doubt all of us are glad to be leaving, but when we stop for a minute to remember the good times we ' ve shared here even the most critical of us must admit to some attraction to the place. Maybe I ' m glorifying things a little. Obviously we ' ve all had our share of bad times too. But we ' ve learned some valuable social lessons from these disappointments which we could never have learned at any other school. We have learned to be more sensitive to the feelings of others, and how to live together in relative peace. Surely this sort of practical knowledge will be far more valuable to us in the future than any knowledge we might accrue in the rather artificial setting of the classroom . That is important, for today is not only the completion of something but also a commencement. From now on we will be faced with some very important decisions, decisions which will stick with us for the rest of our lives. There is no doubt in my mind that our experiences here will aid us greatly in making these choices. I will not wish luck to the graduating class of 1981 , for luck is not needed. As William Jennings Bryan once said: Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice: it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. But regardless of our endeavours, the cycle here at Brentwood will continue and a new group of people will emerge to fill our shoes next year. To these people and all those who follow us, I wish the best of happiness and success. I trust that Brentwood will have the same profound effect on your life as it has had on mine. Thank you. D. Andrew Leighton June20, 1981