ROCKY VIEW— Embracing a love of sports and academics Hailey Yarmuch has been named the Edge School for Athletes Class of 2021 valedictorian.
Yarmuch, 18, has been attending the Edge School for Athletes since Grade 6. She was drawn to the school because of the athletic and academic opportunities Edge provided to students.
“It’s been pretty special to be at Edge. It’s a very tight-knit community where everyone is trying to make everyone better,” Yarmuch said. “Especially through COVID … Edge has really shone through and shown how special it is with everyone that wants to help each other and back one and other.”
Yarmuch said students at the school were lucky because they still had the opportunity to play sports over the 2020-21 school year and maintain their bonds with teammates. She added the teachers were great online and really helped students, especially when they were attending classes virtually.
“Every day being at Edge there’s just stand out memories from every day,” Yarmuch said.
Yarmuch found out she had been named valedictorian at the end of May.
She was just leaving school when she heard an announcement calling her down to the principal's office. Yarmuch said she was not sure what to expect.
“I didn’t know I was in the running,” Yarmuch said with a chuckle. “I’ve always had good grades, but I was honestly kind of blindsided by it, to be honest.”
As valedictorian, Yarmuch said, she is focussed on highlighting how special the Edge Class of 2021 is for persevering and finding strength in each other during the global health crisis.
Yarmuch, a seasoned soccer player, faced further adversity in her Grade 12 year after tearing her ACL and MCL during a game.
“It was our first game back from being locked down during COVID. It was within the first couple minutes that I was pushed from behind and my knee gave out,” Yarmuch said.
She is in rehab and is hopeful to be back playing soccer at her university in the fall.
Yarmuch is looking forward to bringing her skills as a midfielder to the pitch at Trinity Western University in British Columbia. Yarmuch said she considers herself fortunate because she was recruited to the school in early Grade 11.
“COVID wasn’t really a thing for me through the whole university process because I had the base already,” Yarmuch said.
During her time at Trinity Western University Yarmuch will be studying businesses.
