In my role as mayor I am called upon to attend many public events. I can assure you that these obligations can be very time consuming and in some cases of varying degrees of importance.
The event that has always been the most rewarding for me is the opportunity to speak at the Howe Sound Secondary School convocation ceremony. High school graduation is an extremely important rite of passage in our society. In many ways it marks the transition to adulthood and the freedom and responsibilities that it brings. For me, this ceremony and accompanying celebration encompasses much more than that. The proud presentation of our youth to the world is perhaps the symbol of why we strive to make our society and our community better every day.
We strive to provide for our youth. In addition to meeting their basic needs, we try to provide a good education, physical activity and moral guidance. We try to ensure that our communities are healthy and safe and provide many enriching opportunities for our children.
We do this, I think, because of a desire to ensure that our children experience lives that are happy and fulfilling and even better than our own.
I happen to know many of the young men and women graduating in 2011 through various community and parenting activities. As a result, I can say with firsthand knowledge that Squamish can be very proud of this group of young people as they venture into the world.
Therefore, graduation is also a time when we can reflect upon why we work hard and volunteer and drive kids around and wash clothes and make lunches and pay taxes and try to make good decisions.
You as a community have contributed to doctors and hospitals, teachers and schools. You have coached soccer, baseball, hockey, ballet, figure skating, cadets, Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, mountain biking, outdoor leadership, Interact and much, much more. You have done whatever it has taken to ensure that our children have grown up in an incredible community and that they have had opportunities to try many new skills in a safe environment.
It is a time when we remember that it is all worthwhile.
Obviously we are all pleased and proud and wish the best to the Grad Class of 2011. I would add that, in my opinion, graduation is not simply an event for the graduating class. Graduation is a time for the entire community to celebrate.
Congratulations, Squamish, on producing such a fine group of citizens.
