ST. PAUL - St. Paul Alternate Education Centre (SPAEC) and Elk Point Outreach School (EPOS) celebrated this year's graduating class with a celebration on June 6 at the St. Paul Senior Citizens Centre.
Principal Breana Malcolmson spoke to the graduates, offering advice and congratulations for the hard work that had been put into achieving the milestone.
"We gather not just to mark the end of a school year, but to celebrate one of the most meaningful chapters in the lives of 24 extraordinary young people — the graduating class of 2025 from Elk Point Outreach School and St. Paul Alternate Education Centre," said Malcolmson.
"Graduates, this moment is yours. And I want you to hear this clearly: I am so proud of you."
She acknowledged how the path to getting to their graduation "hasn't been ordinary - it’s been courageous. It’s been hard. And it’s been deeply personal."
She further added, "Many of you arrived at our schools with stories written long before you ever walked through our doors. You carried with you not just textbooks and backpacks, but responsibilities, pain, resilience, and strength. Some of you were skeptical of formal education. Many of you had reasons not to trust adults or systems that hadn’t always worked for you."
Despite the challenges, the graduating students chose to show up.
"You did the work, even when it felt overwhelming. You built your own structure when life didn’t give you one. You grew - academically, emotionally, and as human beings. And now here you are, standing on this stage with one of the most significant accomplishments of your young adult lives," said Malcolmson.
Now, the graduating students have choices to make as they move forward in life.
"I want each of you to travel far - whether in geography, in learning, or in understanding. I want you to explore new ideas, meet people who challenge you, and appreciate someone else’s difference. I want you to fall in love with possibility. And through it all, I want you to remember that you are a gift. You are unique, and you carry something within you that no one else does," said Malcolmson.
"You are not here by accident. You are not graduating just because the system allowed it - you are here because you earned it."
She encouraged the graduates to be proud of themselves.
"You’ve already proven that you can overcome the past. Now go and shape the future."
