Grade 8 teacher (left) Jocelyn Courtney and Principal Bill Colley (right) stand with Northport Elementary School's Grade 8 graduating class of 2017.

Hub Staff

An enchanted evening at Northport Elementary School in Port Elgin saw families and friends gather in celebration and recognition of the school’s 27 Grade 8 graduates June 26.

With 45 Grade 8s graduating last year, Northport Principal Bill Colley said that this year was the smallest class that the school had ever had. “It was a small and intimate group but because of it they're also really tight,” he said. “It's been wonderful and easy to teach this group all they way through.”

Colley, who is retiring at the end of the school year, said that 10 years of his 30 year career had been at Northport and he had watched the class grow from young children. “I've had these guys since Grade 1. You don't get that very often as a principal, to stay in the same school the whole time, so it’s kind of special for me,” he said. “To raise them, really, and be a part of all their lives. Now I'm retiring with them so it's kind of fun.”

After the awards were presented, a memory slide show presentation was shown, featuring images of the students from infancy through to current times, followed by a school dance.

Awards were presented to the following students:

Academic Excellence Award: Samuel Jack
Award of Excellence: Darcy Howe
CUPE Award: Nehal Patel
French Award: Angela Xu
Friendship Award: Hooriya Rizwan and Hannah Weisgerber
Geography Award: Ben Sollors and Aiden deVries
History Award: Jared Kerr
Inspiring Possibilities: Colin Little-Hokea
Literary Award: Shelby Sparks
Mathematics Award: Zahne Barton
Most Improved Student Award: Kayla Clark and Sofia Weigel
Music Award: Yu-An Rosario
Northport Citizenship Award: Sam Kozelenko
OPC Leadership Award: Cassidy Rayner
Physical and Health Education Award: Ryan Renaud and Angela Xu
School Spirit Award: Alexa Janes
Science Award: Jared Kerr and David Parsons
Service Above Self: Aiden Marshall
Student Construction Award: Harley Jacques and Michael Byers
Student Mentor Award: Katie Hill and Allison Clarke
The Squires Memorial Music Award: Nick Lalonde
Valedictorian Award: Darcy Howe and Cassidy Rayner
Visual Arts Award: Mackenzie Kruiderink

Congratulations to all graduates:

Zahne Barton
Michael Byers
Kayla Clark
Allison Clarke
Aiden deVries
Katie Hill
Darcy Howe
Samuel Jack
Harley Jacques
Alexa Janes
Jared Kerr
Sam Kozelenko
Mackenzie Kruiderink
Nick Lalonde
Colin Little-Hokea
Aidan Marshall
David Parsons
Nehal Patel
Cassidy Rayner
Ryan Renaud
Hooriya Rizwan
Yu-An Rosario
Ben Sollors
Shelby Sparks
Sofia Weigel
Hannah Weisgerber
Angela Xu

Northport Grade 8 graduates Allison Clarke (left) and Hooriya Rizwan toast each other with some fruit punch after their graduation ceremony.

Northport Cougars (left to right) David Parsons, Nick Lalonde, Ben Sollors, Aiden deVries and Sam Kozelenko at their Grade 8 graduation ceremony.

Grade 8 graduates and award winners (left to right) Shelby Sparks, Darcy Howe and Katie Hill at Northport Elementary School June 26.

Yu-An Rosario and Colin Little-Hokea were looking very dapper at their graduation ceremony June 26.

Alexa Janes (left) and Angela Xu were all smiles at their Grade 8 graduation ceremony.