Today, twenty-three students will cross the stage and get their high school diplomas at the Westside Church at the Morden Adult Education Centre (MAEC) graduation ceremony.
Each student has their own story
Valedictorian Anna Wall shared her story.
"I came to Morden Adult Ed because I realized..." her thoughts went back, "Well when I was young, I didn't think I needed my education. So, I quit school in Grade 7. Now, being an adult, finding myself to be a single-mom of four (children)," she said to herself, "'I need a job that pays enough to get by and minimum wage doesn't quite cut that. I needed to go back to school, get my education, so I can get a better job.' I've been there now for two years, I was there last year all year and this year, now I'm graduating."
For many, like Wall, this accomplishment wasn't easy.
"It's been hard. It's been really hard, I mean, easier than I thought it would be, at the same time, because of the way that they (the staff) are there, it just makes it easier. Like the way that they are set up. Todd and Helena both have a very unique way of teaching because I always thought I was very dumb, like I don't have the ability to learn this stuff. On my first day there, somebody said to me, 'No one here is dumb. You can't know what you don't know.' and that just kind of helped me through the whole thing. Like, 'Hey, you know, that's actually true.'"
"Life hasn't been easy but it's doable."
When thinking about graduation, Wall described her feelings as 'phenomenal' and like, 'it's not real.'
"If somebody had told me four years ago that I'd be juggling four kids, a job, going to school, managing things at home. There's no way."
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Accepting the role
She was surprised to be named valedictorian for the class of 2025, it wasn't a position she wanted until MAEC Director Todd Folkett explained a Valedictorian is someone who does well academically, someone who sacrifices and keeps on attending class even when it is hard.
Wall was shocked because she had a month with a health concern and she wasn't sure if she was going to make it, but she kept on attending and didn't miss a single class.
Her message to her class
"Being valedictorian is a huge honour, but it isn't just about one person. It is about all of us. Even though I didn't know most of them on a personal level, I have no doubt that each one of them sacrificed and struggled and all those things because some of the tests we did, especially in bio class, weren't easy. Everybody still kept showing up. I am extremely proud of every one of them, that they still kept coming. I felt supported by everybody. I hope that they felt the same way, that they still had support, not just from the teachers, but the classmates too."
She appreciates the great sense of humour her class had to keep things light in the classroom with lots of jokes making for a very comfortable environment to learn in. This also helped everyone feel included.
"I could go on for days" about the staff at MAEC
"I did not know that school could be," she stopped to think of the word to describe her learning and blurted out, "...fun," with a smile.
"I wish I could get this through to high school kids too, that it doesn't have to be dreaded and boring. It's not easy, but I think it has a lot to do with the teachers because there was certain situations where I wouldn't understand, let's say math class cause I struggle with math most, but he (Folkett) always had a different way of explaining it to me."
She never felt frustration from her teachers and appreciated their patience.
A strong recommendation for Morden Adult Education Centre
"No matter what your situation is, you have little kids, if that's your reason for not wanting to go, don't worry about it. The childcare there, they're not just their babysitting your kids. They have such a love for these kids. My little guy is three and I'd say he's more than ready for kindergarten because of how great these girls are. The childcare there is phenomenal. The teachers are beyond what you can even imagine, and it is affordable. If a single mom of four kids can afford it and make it happen, I feel like anybody can."
Wall wants to put her diploma to use maybe in a bank and hopes one day be able to go to college and take an accounting course once her son is older.
