“Celebrating the graduates’ achievements in person was a memorable event for students, their families, and faculty,” said Angela McNamee, principal of Saint Francis Xavier Catholic High School. “We were honoured to have Prescott-Russell Trustee Sue Wilson, Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario director of education Laurie Corrigan, and Mayor Mario Zanth address the Class of 2022.”

The class of 59 graduates were ushered into the next chapter of their lives by valedictorian Madison Wardle, remarking on the challenges they faced through the pandemic and the strength and resilience they gained. Wardle was also awarded the Saint Francis Xavier Principal’s Award for her academic, extracurricular and personal achievements throughout high school.

Taylor Kinnin was awarded the Governor General’s Academic Medal for achieving an average of 97 per cent in her grade 11 and 12 classes. The achievements of Ryan Oldford also stood out, having logged nearly 500 hours of community service earning him the Ontario Lieutenant-Governor Community Volunteer Award.