No more pencils, no more books, goes the popular end-of-school chant.
The students are headed off to high-school next year at Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School in 100 Mile House.
“I feel like it’s going to be a whole new world. It’s like going back to square one. It’s kindergarten to Grade 7 and you finally reach the top and then you’re getting ready to go back right down to the bottom,” says Mikayla Hannesschlager.
Despite this, the students say that they’re (mostly) looking forward to joining the ranks of the high-schoolers.
“I’m excited for all the freedoms there are, like going out during lunch, and the friends I’m going to meet and see,” says Tristan Cultler, although he says he is nervous about the work.
Still, they say they’ll miss their beloved elementary school.
“It’s kind of sad because I’ve been here since kindergarten and [the] school is like a second home. It’s going to be sad but it’s exciting at the same time,” says Karli-Rae Ross.
“I’ve been here all my life and I love being here,” says Cutler. “A lot of people don’t like it but I love it and I don’t want to leave. I’m very nervous about high school.”
While not being in the same class as all of their friends will be different, the students also say they will miss their teachers.
“I will miss just having the same teacher and getting to know them, so you can make jokes with them and they don’t really care,” says Stryker Gulliman.
The draw of high school, in a sense, is also about the draw towards growing up.
“I’m excited to go out and have more freedoms and responsibility and meet new people.” says Cutler.
The students will take more than lessons about math, reading and writing from their elementary school days. Their most important lessons, hopefully, will carry with them into high school.
“I learned that it’s good to be who you are,” says Hannesschlager.
“I learned how to make friends and communicate with people,” says Ross.
For Cutler, the most important lesson was “to communicate with people, make new friends, be more social and, if there’s any drama, how to solve that problem.”
Gulliman says he owes his biggest lesson to his final elementary school teacher.
“My most recent teacher has taught me to always keep going and try your hardest and get everything you need to done and just work hard,” he says.
If those are just a sample of the lessons learned from elementary school, the newly minted Grade 7 graduates should be more than ready to walk up the steps at PSO in the fall.
But until then, they’re ready to take a break for the summer.
Gulliman will be hitting the trails with his bike and friends this summer, while Cutler plans on heading to Calgary and Edmonton to see friends.
Hannesschlager is off camping with her family to “chill” and eat a “whole bunch of ice cream,” while Ross will be working on her 4-H projects and heading to a livestock show in Armstrong.
Overall, Gulliman summarizes their transition from elementary to high school best.
“I’m pretty stoked about high school. I mean, it’s different leaving, but it’s still good to move on.”
