BRAGG CREEK— Celebrating the accomplishments of herself and her peers, Holly Reynolds, 17, was selected as the Rocky View Schools Community Learning Centre Cochrane Campus Class of 2020 valedictorian.
Hailing from Bragg Creek, Reynolds said she was very honoured to be selected as valedictorian for the Class of 2020.
“It was never something that I sought out,” Reynolds said. “But, I’m proud of myself and proud of what I’ve accomplished.”
Reynold suspects that her keen desire to push herself to try and get the best grades possible paired with visiting the school in person as often as possible helped her stand out from the crowd.
Rocky View Schools Community Learning Centre is designed to allow students to attend classes online, Reynolds said. However, she said she would be at the physical campus at least two to three times a week taking as many courses as she possibly could.
Reynolds said it had been a good but challenging school year before the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She added that because classes take place online the impacts of COVID-19 were minimal on her schooling.
“I don’t think we were too negatively impacted by the recent events,” Reynolds said. “The teachers and students didn’t have to adjust to an entirely new way to study.”
She added that some tests, assignments and diploma exams were cancelled in the second semester due to the virus. The cancellations made for an easier semester because it was less stressful to finish the classes from home.
Reynolds added that she is grateful for the support of her teachers and Rocky View Schools Community Learning Centre provided during the challenging times of adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reynolds said she loved art class because it was one of the few she was able to spend time in the classroom with her peers and teacher.
She enjoyed the different projects they were able to tackle and had fun seeing what she could create. Reynolds added that she was especially proud of a still life painting of pears she created using oil paint on canvas.
It amazing when she received her certificate from Rocky View Schools Community Learning Centre in an unusual graduation ceremony.
To honour the Class of 2020 educators travelled to students home to host a mini-celebration and award a certificate showing they had graduated. Reynolds received her official diploma in the mail.
Reynold congratulated her classmates and wished them luck in the future. Proud of herself and other classmates for graduating.
Reynolds will be attending the University of Calgary in the fall to study biological sciences.
She said she has always been fond of science, and while she is uncertain what the future holds she wants to find a way to help the environment.
“It was a lot of years in the making and I’m just happy to be able to say that I’ve graduated,” she said. “I’m ready to move on with the next chapter of my life.”
