OLeary High School - Envoy Yearbook (Edmonton, Alberta Canada)

Page 23 text:

VALEDICTORIAN Life has had some very happy days for us, but none to surpass this, our Graduation Day. And it is an added joy to share its happiness with you whom we call ' friends. Music has become an essential part of every gradu¬ ation programme, and rightly so, for is not music the medium through which we may best express the various moods that stir us on such an occasion? Each chord produces a perfect harmony, but each note of that chord has its own clear, distinctive tone. To-night we wish to strike four different notes and combine them into one grand harmony. First, we would sound the deep rich note of gratitude--gratitude to God for the gifts he has bestowed upon us--gratitude to our parents who in a truly Christian home taught us that character is the cornerstone of all success--gratitude to the Sisters of St. Joseph, the Christian Brothers, and the lay teachers, all of whom have exemplified the beauty that lies in a life of service to others. Next, we would sound the dominant note of our chord--genuine happiness. Happiness inspired, not only by sight of friends and flowers, but also by a sense of accomplishment akin to that experienced by the musician when he completes one movement of his composition. To-night we finish the prelude by graduating from O ' Leary High School and we begin to develop our life ' s theme more fully in our chosen field of employment or higher study. To set off our chord, we must strike a lonely minor note which some will think discordant. But ' tis not so! For, would it not be strange if we felt no twinge of sadness at leaving the friends we have made at high school? Is there not a whole¬ some fear which makes us diffident about ' striking out alone ' ? Our training at O ' Leary has made us realize that life is real and life is earnest, but it has also taught us to strike the vibrant note of hope--not a foolish hope but a sincere hope that our efficiency and application of Christian principles will contribute something towards making this a better place in which to live. Each day will bring ample opportunities for increasing our knowledge and developing our personalities. For these we must be ready, and So act, that each to-morrow Find us farther than to-day We have the honour of being the first graduates of O ' Leary High School. May the harmony which stirs our hearts to-night with sentiments of gratitude, happiness, fear and hope be sustained throughout our lives and may it awaken pleasant echoes in the hearts of those to whom we stand as products of Catholic Education. To-night we accept the challenge to prove the truth of our school ' s motto: We have chosen the way of truth. And with the late Doctor Tom Dooley we will keep these words before us: The woods are lovely, dark and deep But I have promises to keep And miles to go before I sleep June Wakaruk

Page 22 text:

WE HONOUR GRADUATES SALUTATORIAN I bring you greetings from the graduating class of 1962. Two years ago, many of us that are here now, gathered to witness the official opening of the new O ' Leary High School. We had completed our Grade X in many different buildings-St. Joseph ' s, St. Clare ' s, St. Basil ' s, St. Alphonsus, and St. Anthony ' s College. Despite our varied background, a pioneer¬ ing spirit soon welded us into a class which, we think, will prove difficult to duplicate. Many responsibilities, usually reserved for seniors, were entrusted to us in those early months. We felt then and we still feel, that O ' Leary High School is especially ours. Therefore, it is as proprietors and hosts that we bid you welcome. Peter Boetzkes

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Anthony Wankiewicz and Peter Boetzkes are being presented with the Alberta Hotel Association ' s Scholarships by Mr. Keene. 1962 GRADUATING CLASS Anthony Wankiewicz, Gloria Schlender, Carole Sherrer, June Wakaruk, Joyce Kubalik and Peter Boetzkes are presented with the Queen Elizabeth Scholarships by Father Fitzgerald.