Norquest Notes

June is the month for graduations (and weddings!) It is a time when students finally achieve the goal they have been working toward for so many years. It is a joyous time and a time for celebration. As you are struggling through course after course, the end sometimes feels as if it will never come. But the students we celebrate this month are the ones who have hung in, who have weathered the hardships and obstacles place in their way.

This young lady, Cynthia Creary, has pursued her certification for some 4 years, driving for an hour and a half after a full day of work to attend classes, and then having to drive home again – often when road conditions were not the best. Summers were not a time for holidays! It was a time for summer school and applied work experiences.

But now the time has come! And in the audience, 3 very proud sons and a loving husband witness her graduation with high honours. Was it worth it? Ask the thousands of Special Education and challenged students who will benefit from her knowledge over the years ahead. They are the ones whose lives will be enhanced, due to the determination and sacrifices of this young lady.

As a former Director of Education I want to extend my heartiest congratulations – not only to her, but also to the thousands of students graduating from our colleges and universities this year!

There were three of them sitting around a campfire – a young boy, his father, and his grandfather.

They had travelled all day by canoe along the big river, and had stopped for the night on this point of land where the river curved northward. The day had been pleasant, but there was now a chill in the air – signaling the last days of summer.

The young lad sat quietly for a long time, but as the fire turned to glowing embers he turned to his Grandfather and said, “Moshum, why do people behave in so many different ways? Why do some people act so friendly, and others not so friendly?”

The grandfather responded, “My son, we all have two “wolves” battling within us all. One wolf is evil. It is angry, envious, greedy, thinks only of itself, feels inferior but acts superior, and resents everything and everybody. The other is good. This one is joyful, loving, has high hopes, is kind, and generous, compassionate and faithful. Their battle is ongoing.

The young lad was silent for a long time, and then spoke quietly, “Moshum, which wolf wins?”
The old man replied simply, “The one you feed.”