We did it! As June reaches its close, it is time for us all to reflect on the past year, take some time to think while our brains are exploding with exam pressure.
Even those who have just graduated take off their caps and gowns and return to school for two more weeks after being told they were free. So it goes. In any case, even if we can’t turn our minds backwards to remember math questions from the beginnings of our classes, you can bet our minds are turning forwards.
For those of us graduating, the days after June 27 fade into the unknown, an exciting and frightening new chapter. And those of us returning in the fall have new classes, teachers, and experiences to look forward to during and after our two months of summer.
Now for the news of the past month or so. The LVR dance department, in collaboration with Allegro Dance, presented Movement at the Capitol Theatre on May 28. The show was beautiful, and especially memorable were the colourful bodysuits that the dancers wore for some of the performance. The dance department doesn’t put on many shows, and this one was not to be missed.
It has been a great month for the arts, with Corazón performing on the 28th and 30th, as well as the Grad Talent Show allowing LVR kids to show off a myriad of amazing talents, from songs that they composed to comedic scenes.
Corazón’s performances bring tears to many eyes, and we in this town are incredibly lucky to have this choir, run by Allison Girvan, who makes a group of talented teenagers and young adults sound like professionals. It is this music, dance and drama that makes Nelson an arts town, and the kids who live here are certainly lucky to get to take part in it.
The Global Perspectives class hosted a dinner dance fundraiser for sustainability in a small village in Kenya. The event had a five-course meal and swing dancing, and was played by the bands Swing Theory and All Canadian Back Bacon, as well as cello player Tibo Kölmel. The event was a blast, and for a very good cause.
A few LVR students attended this year’s Southern Interior Youth Parliament in Kelowna. Eija Loponen-Stevenson, our school’s debate captain, led four other LVR students (and one from Stanley Humphries) to be members of the opposition in an event that is almost entirely organised by youth, dedicated to educating teens about parliamentary procedure.
It may sound a bit boring when phrased that way, but the kids spend the weekend debating mock legislation which can be hilarious (for instance, a bill suggesting that the premier beatbox during the singing of O Canada) and leave with a greater understanding of our government.
The few days of grad included a cap and gown ceremony on Friday, the usual grand march around the skating rink on Saturday, and the ever-amusing cavalcade, in which grads get to drive down the street in shiny cars and practice their princess wave. Hey, high school graduation happens once in everyone’s life, and they might as well make the most of it.
The end of the school year is a time of exams and deadlines, but also of days that feel like summer, and, especially for those graduating, experiences that are not to be forgotten.