My name is Julie Higgins, and I am the 2025 Stanley Humphries Secondary School Valedictorian.
Firstly, I’d like to thank the ones that made this all happen. To the teachers and administrators, the ones who keep it all moving forward with their selfless, never-ending efforts. To the parents – my parents – the families, and the friends, the ones who picked us up when we stumbled. And to my day ones, you know who you are.
And a huge thank you to the Grad Parent and Student Executives, without, we would not have these events.
What is a valedictorian anyways? Traditionally, it’s the person who has worked towards earning the highest GPA. Now, I may not have that, but I was voted to write this. In Latin, “valedictorian” means “to bid farewell.” So, I am honoured to be here today, bidding farewell to our Class of 2025.
We were pretty lucky to get such a nice number, huh? 25. The thing is though, we’re more than just a number. We’re hard workers, we’re determined, we’re all dressed like wizards, and we’re all here together to celebrate our 13 relentless years of school – 13 years of making memories and learning who we are. But, as I write this, 18 years old, the age I always dreamed about, I wish I could wave my wizard wand and reverse the clock.
My dad always says that time moves faster the older you get; but I never believed him. Does anyone else feel like this year just started?
Now that we’ve finally finished the thing that the government requires us to do, I am starting to understand the sadness. I feel nostalgic even though it’s not quite over yet. One more week!
I remember going into the summer before Grade 9, not knowing where I fit in. But, lo and behold, I discovered Sawyers' basement. A mystical, magical land of pool tables and Just Dance, where I met people that formed who I am as a person today. I love you all.
Somehow, we always ended up at least eight kilometres away with no way home ... many blisters and much dehydration.
But one thing I can safely say I will miss the most, is meeting up with my friends in the hallways, unplanned, ready to roam until the bell rings, running away from any teachers wishing to tell you to go back to class. On behalf of everyone, I apologize for that. To be truthful, I might even miss being in class, watching Mr. Perren dive into a spontaneous experiment that will take us three days to finish, or the inside jokes all the French Immersion kids made together. Sharing notes, giggling at anything and everything, and occasionally learning a thing or two. At least I’ll never forget that the Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell…
Let’s celebrate all the times we forgot to bring a speaker, all the times we ditched class to swim at Millennium, and all the times we didn’t have enough wood for the fire.
These years with you all have been unforgettable, but, if this speech was forgettable, at least take this away from it: allow the future to come to you.
Good luck, try your best, and please don’t give up.
