COCHRANE— Celebrating her school and her classmates, the Bow Valley High School Class of 2021 valedictorian is focussed on staying positive in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bow Valley High School valedictorian Mikaela Murphy said the 2020-21 school year has been a turbulent year for students.
“I think a lot of us are in the same boat where it’s not really the ideal year that any of us wanted, but we’ve made it through,” Murphy said.
Murphy found out she had been named Bow Valley High School Class of 2021 valedictorian in early May.
At the time Murphy was at home in an online class and was shocked to receive a phone call telling her she had earned the prestigious title.
She had been attending classes in person for the majority of the school year, moving online briefly during the government-mandated school shutdowns in May.
The fluidity of the year and learning modes proved to be a time of great adversity for Murphy and her classmates, she said.
“It’s definitely been hard. For me, I was focussed semester to semester, and kind of dealing with what I could at the time,” Murphy said. “It’s been ups and downs with online learning, it was a lot of balancing between teachers and ourselves and trying to get through the week to week.”
The title of valedictorian was a complete surprise, she added, because the Grade 12 class at Bow Valley High is filled with really great students who do well academically and are involved with the school community.
Murphy moved to Cochrane when she was 12-years-old and it has been a great experience being able to grow up with a tight-knit group of students.
“There were a lot of great candidates that were nominated. I was really just happy to be selected for the nomination. I was really quite happy and surprised when I got the call that I had been chosen,” Murphy said.
As a student-athlete, the COVID-19 public health measures have been especially hard because she has been unable to play the sports she loves.
“I got to play a bit of soccer in the fall and practice … And then after that everything was cancelled,” Murphy said. “It’s been tough even looking back to last year sports were cancelled right in the middle of a basketball tournament for zones. We never got to finish things like that.”
This was challenging, Murphy said, because she loves sports and is the type of student who is always on the go.
Murphy said she is grateful she was able to have time with her friends in school before the time they spent online learning in May.
Originally Bow Valley High School had planned on having a graduation ceremony at the end of May, but the event was pushed back due to COVID-19 public health measures.
Murphy has completed and filmed her speech for the ceremony crafting an address centred on the resiliency of her classmates and teachers during COVID-19.
“I wanted to focus on the different small moments not only from this year but the past four years that our class has spent together,” Murphy said. “I tried to focus on the good times ... I tried to stay positive.”
Murphy is hopeful she will be able to once again play sports in the fall while attending the University of Lethbridge. She is currently exploring potentially playing women’s basketball or soccer.
“It’s something to look forward to,” Murphy said. “I’ll play what every opens up and what I can get my hands on."
While living in Lethbridge Murphy will be studying for a bachelor of education. She hopes to teach special education in the future.
Murphy has always wanted to be a teacher, she said. The time she has spent volunteering in the community has only fuelled her passion for learning, especially in regard to special education.
“I’m pretty excited to get into that field,” Murphy said.
