The final two graduates crossed the stage at Star City School during the graduation ceremony on June 21 in the Star City School Gymnasium.
The final two graduates were William Baptist and Kyra Cisna. The school will become a Kindergarten to Grade 6 School in 2025-2026.
“It’s kind of sad being the last grads and not having a high school anymore,” Cisna said.
She said it was sad for the obvious reason of being the last but that she understood the reasoning behind the decision.
Baptist said that he had not really contemplated what it meant to be one of the last two graduates.
“It’s kind of exciting to be the last one at Star City School and kind of an honour, I guess,” he said.
Cisna’s best memories of the school revolved around people.
“The teachers are all really great and nice,” she said. “People are really, really nice.”
Baptist said his best memories of Star City School were attached to the friends he made.
“Just hanging out with friends at school and stuff,” he said.
Both graduates had a chance to speak on the occasion.
Cisna said she was still working on what to say. Baptist said he wanted to thank everyone for their help along the way.
“I am just thinking of thanking my parents for getting me up for school and thanking the teachers for putting up with me,” he said. “That’s all I got down for now. But if I can think of anything else and I’ll add it.
With graduation over, both students have turned their attention to post high school life.
Cisna is still exploring her options on what she will be doing next. She said there were lots of options and she would take some time to figure it out.
“I want to do something with art but I’m not sure what yet,” she said.
Baptist wants to continue in agriculture in the future. His family’s farm is located just southeast of Star City.
“I plan to do farming probably and save up for stuff like farming equipment and stuff,” he said.
The ceremony on June 21 included greeting read from Minister of Education Everett Hindley, Lieutenant Governor Bernadette McIntyre and NESD Board Chair Ryan Peterson and greetings from the Star City School SCC (School Community Council).
There was a final Principal’s address to graduates by Rob Unruh, the guest speaker was teacher Brent Plant.
Cisna and Baptist did a toast to the parents with a reply by Laura McGillivray. Following a slideshow there was a presentation of awards, the list of awards winners was not available.
After the awards was the final presentation of diplomas at Star City School.
Star City School will be discontinuing Grade 7 to 12 beginning in the 2025-2056 school year.
The North East School Division (NESD) board of education ratified the decision at their regular meeting on Sept. 19. Students will have the choice of attending either Tisdale Middle and Secondary School (TMSS) or Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate (MUCC).
In an interview with the Herald earlier this year NESD director or education Stacey Lair said the board voted to discontinue Grade 7-12 on the recommendation of the School Community Council (SCC). She said there are several possibilities in the provincial legislation that give the SCC the authority to advise the board, but the board has the final decision.
On May 2, the SCC hosted a town hall, to share and collect feedback on grade discontinuance. On May 21, the SCC invited the community to attend a meeting to review the results of a second survey, which asked families in the Star City attendance area if they supported grade discontinuance.
The school principal and SCC Chair presented the survey results to the SCC. Board vice chair Lori Kidney, Lair, Unruh, and five SCC and community members attended the meeting.
The decision also came after a motion was passed at the Aug. 21 Star City SCC meeting recommended the discontinuance of Grade 7 to 12. At the August regular board meeting the board approved a motion for four families to move to the Tisdale catchment area for transportation once the grade discontinuance was approved.
Star City School had an enrolment of 44 students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 as of Sept. 5.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
