​On Thursday, June 6, a group of graduating students in SJASD volunteered to take part in a new, inspiring initiative called the Graduation Walk. A total of nine students from St. James Collegiate spent the morning revisiting their former elementary schools, donning their caps and gowns. The group toured all three elementary schools in the St. James Family of Schools including: Brooklands, Linwood and Stevenson-Britannia. 

    At Brooklands School, all of the students lined up in the schoolyard as they anticipated the arrival of the local grads. Brooklands is currently mid-way through their outdoor school initiative and so the Graduation Walk took place outside underneath the hot sun. The seniors made their way down the line of students, shaking hands with each pupil in Kindergarten through Grade 5. The two former Brooklands students in the group, Israel P. and Carl S., led the line. The event then shifted over to the outdoor amphitheatre, where Israel P.  shared a speech with the entire student body. He spoke of his educational experience in SJASD and the path he took that led him to graduation. He noted how his interests have expanded since transitioning from middle school to high school, allowing him to grow as a person and form many new connections. Next up, the graduates moved over to Stevenson-Britannia School. 

     After the students completed a lap on the main floor of the school, they moved upstairs to shake hands with every student in the building. Everyone met in the school gymnasium after the walk to hear from former students Mallory M. and Jake K. The two St. James Collegiate students addressed the student body, discussing their 15-year friendship, influential teachers and fond memories of their time at Stevenson-Britannia. They shared how they are continuing their education at the University of Winnipeg next year, and are looking forward to this next chapter in their lives. The Stevenson-Britannia students gathered around the graduates to check out a photo frame showcasing photos of the seniors when they were in Grade 5. Of the group, Mallory, Jake, Eh, Raquel and Sebastien all went to elementary school at Stevenson-Britannia. For the last stop of the day, the team travelled over to Linwood School.

     Lining both sides of the hall, students held out their hands to high five the graduates as they made their way up and down the two main hallways of the school. Former Linwood students Sadie K. and David B. led this walk. At the end of the hall on the second floor, Sadie K. shared a speech she had prepared about what it means to go through school, make connections, grow as an individual and work hard towards the areas you are passionate about. She led a Q&A session with the students, where each graduate contributed to the conversation. It even resulted in a few dance moves being demonstrated! As the graduates left the final destination of the day, they reflected on the experience of being able to be seen as positive role models for younger students in the community. They encouraged the younger students that moving onto a new school can be scary at first, but also exciting and soon became "like a second home."
Thank you to our St. James Collegiate graduates who took part in this initiative today, helping young students envision the end goal of K-12 education — graduating with positive outlooks, close friends and many warm memories!