Latest news with #valedictorian
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
CBA holds commencement for the class of 2025
DEWITT, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Congratulations are in order for 124 students who graduated from Christian Brothers Academy on Sunday. The commencement ceremony was held at Alibrandi Stadium at CBA. Out of the graduating class; 3 students will be attending ivy league schools, another 12 will be Division I athletes in the fall. Alison Sullivan served as the valedictorian, and Mia Arcuri the salutatorian for the class of 2025. The CBA class of 1975 was celebrating their reunion this year and gifted a check of $175,775 to the school. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBC
6 days ago
- General
- CBC
This co-valedictorian gave her speech in Anishnaabemowin
Social Sharing It was an historic moment at the Bora Laskin Law School graduation earlier this spring. Co-valedictorian Cassandra Spade gave her speech in Anishnaabemowin. Cassandra is from Mishkeegogamang First Nation but also spent a lot of her time growing up in Couchiching First Nation and she has big plans as she moves forward in her law career. She spoke with Mary-Jean Cormier, the host of Superior Morning, about those plans and what it was like giving her speech in Anishnaabemowin. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Mary-Jean Cormier: Can you tell me what it was like to be up on stage speaking Anishnaabemowin? Cassandra Spade: I cried walking up to the stage. I was trying to hold myself together during the speech. Throughout the speech, you can hear pauses where I'm very much overcome with emotion, and it's because it's such an unimaginable thing to think that a valedictorian address would be given in an Indigenous language and especially at a law school. So, it was really special to me, but it also felt like all of the language teachers and the people who supported my language learning were in that room with me. So, it was very, very special. MC: What did you say? CS: I opened by saying that this is perhaps the first time at a Canadian law school where this address is given in an Indigenous language, specifically Anishinaabe. But I also said that this moment didn't happen by myself alone. There are a lot of people who have nurtured me and loved me and taken care of me to get me to this point and who taught me the Anishinaabe language. So, I'm not a first language speaker. I learned as an adult and I'm specifically talking about one elder from Lac Seul First Nation. She specifically told me when I first started learning that if you take care of the Anishinaabe language it will take care of you. I didn't really know what it meant at the time, but throughout law school I learned that our language holds all of our law, and by learning my language and taking care of it and practising it, I was really reinforcing our laws and learning and kind of preserving them. So it was really special to learn that in law school. MC: Speaking of law school, beyond the language piece, what did it mean for you to graduate from law school? CS: I've obtained a law degree, which is really special. I'm the first one in my family to go to law school and to graduate, and it makes me reflect on all of the people in my family who are so talented and skilled and are able to give to the community in so many different ways. So, I think about all of the things that my family has taught me specifically about kindness or thinking about other people or listening to other stories. Throughout law school, those are the skills that kind of carry you through law, and it's all about your community. And so it was really special for me because I wouldn't have been in law school had it not been for my family, my broader community, all of the support at law school. So, it really is an accomplishment to the community at large. I only did two per cent of the work and everyone else kind of did like 98 per cent of the work. MC: What drew you to this field in the first place? CS: When I was nine years old my sister was bit by a dog on our reservation. It wasn't a bad bite, it was just a little nip, but I kind of got this idea that the dog should be vaccinated and tagged in the community, not only to protect the children in the community, but also to take care of the dogs. So, at that time, I had learned that there were a lot of bylaws and policies about getting veterinarians onto reserves. So, I created this petition and with the help of my dad, I walked from house to house to house in the winter, it was very cold, to get people to sign this petition so that the community would do vaccination and tagging for the dogs. Eventually it came to fruition, and it was the first time I felt like wow, I can make some change and this is really exciting. So, since I was very young, I've always wanted to be a lawyer. MC: What kind of path do you see before you in law? CS: I'm very much interested in practicing Inaakonigewin, which is Anishinaabe law and right now across all Canadian law schools who are just kind of beginning to think about indigenous laws. This is something that I'm very passionate about. I wrote research in my last year of law that interviewed people in the Anishinaabe language so that we could talk about Anishinaabe law. It's just such a different legal system compared to the Canadian one, and I think Canadian law schools and the Canadian legal system at large has a lot to learn from Indigenous people. MC: Do you think looking at law from a different perspective could change some of the situations we're in? CS: Indigenous laws are very good at doing something called pluralism, and that's where many different legal systems can exist at the same place. So, Canadian laws, Indigenous laws and other laws like international law can all exist in a relationship together. And so although the Canadian justice system may look very different from an Anishinaabe one, the Anishinaabe structure at large can hold place for both of them. What I mean by this is the Canadian justice system is built on deterrence and denunciation, whereas the Anishinaabe one is more focused on rehabilitation and building relationships and kind of restoring people so that they can continue to be part of the community. So, Indigenous law offers Canadians a new way to think about this relationship between different legal systems and I think at this moment in time in Canada, the Canadian law structure is really struggling to think about what is that relationship. I think when people learn about Indigenous law, it offers an opportunity to start thinking about what does this relationship really look like? What should it look like? And how do we exist without really trampling on one another or trying to take over one another? MC: Who will you be working with? I think they're going to be very lucky. CS: I'm going to hopefully, upon being called to the bar and becoming a lawyer and licensed, I'll be practising in the Rainy River District at Judson Howie. But until then, I'll be a student at law, so you'll see my face around the office. I'll be supporting them in all the work and I'm so excited to be working in this region, particularly because I spent so much time growing up in Couchiching. MC: How long before you get called to the bar? I have to study for the bar and there are two exams — there's the barrister, which is basically when you go to the courthouse and you do your criminal law and you do your civil litigation and family law. And then I have to finish the solicitor's exam, which is more focused on business law and contracts and wills and estates. These giant, massive exams happen in the month of June and if I pass them, fingers crossed, I'll be called to the bar in August or early September.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Anderson High School valedictorian overcomes rare birth defect to build academic resume
ANDERSON — Isaac Knost has overcome the odds to enjoy a full and successful student career at Anderson High School. He's on the swim team at Anderson High School. He plays French horn in the school band. He received an associate's degree from Ivy Tech three weeks ago, and next Saturday, he will graduate from AHS as the class valedictorian. Knost built his impressive academic resume after his parents were told, shortly after his birth, that their son might never walk or talk. He was born with a rare condition known as craniosynostosis, in which fibrous sutures in a newborn's skull prematurely fuse together as bone, preventing the full formation of the brain. 'We were actually told he … would probably never live independently,' said his father, Michael Knost, who teaches biology and zoology at the high school. His mother, Elizabeth, teaches freshman English and developmental reading at the school. 'He did physical, occupational and speech therapy through First Steps,' Michael continued. 'He started physical therapy and occupational therapy at 6 weeks old and did that ... until he was 3 years old.' Isaac started kindergarten four days after his fifth birthday. His parents wanted him to start early in case he had to repeat kindergarten because of his condition. When Isaac entered kindergarten, he did not know all of the alphabet and was having trouble learning to read. By the time he left kindergarten, he was reading chapter books. 'From the start, he had to work hard and was being pushed by his therapists, just to be able to do normal stuff,' Michael said. 'He has always been a hard worker, and I think part of that is because he has had to work hard all his life.' Starting at the age of six, Isaac and his parents traveled to different colleges for several years and shared his story during dance marathons. Terri Wilson, the college and career counselor at Anderson High School, has marveled at Isaac's progression. 'It's been amazing to watch Isaac's growth over the years,' Wilson said. 'From the start, he showed promise, but seeing how he's developed academically and personally — taking on more responsibility, challenging himself and truly coming into his own — has been incredibly rewarding.' Becoming valedictorian and receiving an associate's degree before graduating high school were never goals for Knost. 'I was never really working toward Core 30 or my associate's degree or anything,' he said. 'All the college credit classes and stuff just happened to be the classes that I took because I thought they looked like the ones that would be more fun. 'I like to push myself and make it more of a challenge. I was never really going for it until it was just like, 'You are this close, might as well.'' Isaac said his ambition traces, in part, to his upbringing. His parents taught him to put maximum effort into everything he does. Michael said Isaac has been in the high-abilities program since he was in third grade. Being with the same group of students through most of school fosters friendly 'cooperation and competition' among them to make them better, he said. Isaac's choices to take hard classes and do extra work speaks volumes about him, according to Wilson. 'Isaac's desire to take on more rigorous course work speaks to his determination and love of learning,' she said. 'He doesn't shy away from a challenge; instead, he embraces it. 'His ability to handle demanding classes reflects both his strong work ethic and his readiness for the next step in his academic journey.' Isaac plans to major in cybersecurity at Anderson University and has been accepted into AU's music program. He also intends to join the school's swimming team.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pace Center for Girls marks milestone with 40th graduation ceremony
Pace Center for Girls proudly marked the achievement of its 40th graduating class, representing a significant milestone. Seventeen girls walked across the stage. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Everyone at Pace calls graduation day the happiest day of their life, and every graduate emerges with a sense of purpose and possibility, said Pace Center for Girls. This year's valedictorian, Marlee, spoke about her story and how she rose above adversity. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] She wraps up her speech by encouraging fellow graduates to take charge of their futures and recognize the greatness within themselves. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
CBS News
27-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Top Boston Public Schools graduates honored at Fenway Park
Boston Public Schools and the Boston Red Sox honored 33 valedictorians from across the city in a special ceremony at Fenway Park, celebrating four years of dedication and hard work. The event highlighted the success of the high-achieving students, getting a chance to meet Mayor Michelle Wu as well as four free tickets to a Red Sox game. Among the distinguished graduates was Leah Pires, a senior from Boston Arts Academy, who graduated at the top of her class. For Leah, this achievement was not just a personal victory but a triumph for her entire community. Artist and academic leader "Being able to be highlighted, especially being valedictorian and being amongst the top scholars in Boston Public Schools is just absolutely amazing and I'm so blessed and honored to be here," said Pires. Leah, who will attend Fordham University next fall to double major in Dance and Pre-Law with a focus on criminal justice, also got the chance to address her fellow valedictorians at the ceremony. "I'm showcasing that you can be an artist and you can also be an academic leader in both spaces, you can do both," Pires said. Also celebrated at the event was Kayliaris Espinoza Munoz, the valedictorian from Margarita Munoz Academy. Kayliaris will be the first in her family to attend college when she heads off to school next fall. "I've been able to go above and beyond what society and what people may say about me or think about me because neither of my parents attended college," she said. Mayor Wu addresses students The ceremony included a special address from Mayor Wu, who is herself a former Boston Public Schools valedictorian. Wu spoke to the students about the doors that would continue to open for them due to their hard work and dedication. "I want to say congratulations again to all of our valedictorians, and please know that there are people who are in decision making rooms in this city who also know what it's like to have doors opened up that you never could have imagined through education, through hard work and through that community support," Wu said. For students like Leah and Kayliaris, the event served as a testament to the countless hours spent studying, balancing jobs, sports, and extracurricular activities. Their achievements are proof that their efforts paid off.
