Page 14 - 1965

Catherine Smith
Valedictory Address
It is with sincere appreciation of the honour bestowed on me that I bid farewell to the Collingwood Collegiate on behalf of the 1964 graduating class. On graduating, we excitedly look ahead to new ambitions and endeav- ours, yet pause to look back fondly upon our days at c. c. I.
We remember the spirit that led the girls' track and field team of 1959 to win the Thompson Trophy for the first and only time in C.C.I. history. We remember the excitement of cheering the boys' senior basketball team of '64, the renowned Cavaliers, and our soccer champions of the same year. Some recall the ''butterflies-in-the- stomach" feeling before the public speaking con- test ,or Drama Night,or "the big game";and each person has his own particular
memories of initiation day! We remember the football games, the dances, the humorousincidentsintheclassrooms,andthose daily discussions in Grade XIII History class. We remember the Christmas assemblies,where once a year we could poke fun at our teachers - publicly! Never shall we forget the cramming for those critical Grade XIII examinations, nor our feeling of dread as we dazedly entered the examination room muttering formulas, irregular French verbs, or phrases of Latin poetry. Fondest memories are those of our last yeartogether,when friends from Stayner Collegiate rejoined us at C. C. I.,and the former rivalry was forgotten in the atmosphere of warmth and friendship that encompassed us all,for it is the people we have known who have made the memories and the happiness.
Tonight,we would like to thank sincerely our parents and friends for their endless interest, encouragement, love, and all the inexpressible feelings that came from knowing someone was there with us no matter what might befall. We would like to thank our teachers for giving so freely of their time ,of their knowledge , and of themselves for our present and life-long benefit. And I am sure that each one of us would like to say to his classmates: "Thank you for sharing these years with me."
In retrospect , we find that , on the whole, they were very happy years, but there were moments of doubt and depression. We can be justly proud of our- selves for having overcome those difficult moments,and for having succeeded in achieving our immediate goal - graduation.Our real success, however, lies not in passing examinations qualifying us for a diploma, but in having stuck to our task of learning for thirteen years or more. Our success lies in the fact that we did not quit; we overcame the difficulties, met the hopes and expecta- tions of our parents, our teachers, and ourselves. There were times- when examinations threatened or when we tired of the daily routine and homework, and graduation seemed very distant - that we passed and wondered: ''Why bother to stay in school?"
I think we now know why we "bothered"; for tonight we take away with us, not only a diploma, but a whole chapter of our lives, filled with friendships, experiences ,ideals, and ideas, moulded and shaped in our years together here at C. C. I.;and we take a personality strengthened by such qualities as under- standing, tolerance, self-discipline , perserverance, and something called self- respect that would not permit us to give in.
There will be other times in our lives when we will again question our endeavours. Let us then remember the words of Tennyson, that our purpose may be always,
"To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
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