Class of 2025 celebrates with Eckville Jr/Sr High School graduation
The gymnasium at Eckville Jr/Sr High School was filled May 30 with proud family members, staff, and community members celebrating the achievements of the 2025 graduating class. While the class was small in numbers, the support was anything but.
Valedictorian Taylor Boettcher offered a heartfelt speech focused not on sweeping life advice, but on the quiet and lasting power of friendship formed in close-knit schools like Eckville.
“In small schools like ours, we're confined to classrooms and forced to spend 35 hours a week together. This unrelenting closeness is what makes it impossible not to form friendships. Even between people whom you have never spoken to otherwise,” said Boettcher. “The most unexpected pairs could be the result of something as trivial as a seating plan, or one day, you are part of the group project, and the next thing you know, you're inseparable.”
She also paid tribute to her best friend and to all those who made a difference, even in fleeting moments.
“Anyone on the stage may have been a friend, even if it's just for a moment. They helped you meet your goals and made you who you are today,” she added.
As graduates crossed the stage, supported by teachers, families, and even their younger grade school “grad buddies.”
Principal Dean Pilipchuk spoke about the school’s decision to reintroduce academic regalia and traced its historical roots. He then addressed the graduates ready to take that next step.
“As you leave the halls of this school and embark on your next chapter, remember that greatness comes in many forms,” said Pilipchuk. “It can be a quiet act of kindness in the courage to speak up for what's right and the dedication to perfecting your craft, no matter how long it takes. I wish I could promise all of you that your future's going to be full of roses, but the truth is that the path ahead is not always easy. But I know that each of you has the power to rise above these challenges and create lives of purpose and impact.”
Trustee Trudy Bratland brought greetings on behalf of the Wolf Creek Public Schools Board and reminded students to move forward with gratitude and kindness.
“I hope you leave here remembering where you came from, building friendships, and above all, being kind and happy,” said Bratland.
Assistant Superintendent Kevin Newman expanded on the graduation theme, pointing out its pop culture origins from comedian Steve Martin, while tying it to the school’s values.
“Be so great that they can't ignore you, be so generous, so curious, so heartbreaking, and so bold, that maybe even so joyfully weird that the world takes notice,” said Newman. “Build a future that reflects your very best.”
Dignitaries, including Mayor Colleen Ebden, Lacombe County Councillor Dana Kreil, and Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre MLA Jason Nixon, also shared well wishes.