30 grads decked out in cap and gown proudly walked the stage at the Rocky View Schools Education Centre yesterday (May 30) to be presented with their diplomas from a school that has meant the world to most of them.  

The students were graduating from the RVS Community Learning Centre, with campuses in Airdrie, Chestermere and Cochrane.  Murray Arnold is the principal of the school and took the time to describe what the Community Learning Centre is all about.

"Because we're an alternative school we have all kinds of students come to us and as they work their way through the education system and get to the graduation point, they get to come with their families and celebrate today."  

Arnold says the campuses get a huge variety of students.  "Some of them would be heavily involved in music or sports so they practice hours a day and school doesn't work for them," explains Arnold.  "Other students have some medical issues that get in the way and interfere with their learning and they can't sit in a desk for some medical reasons.  Sometimes we have some social/emotional issues with anxiety and large class sizes and big schools don't work for them. Other students are working part-time and they're finding their way outside of a regular school system and we provide an opportunity for them to get where they want to go."

21-year-old Jacob Legault of Airdrie was one of the students graduating yesterday.  Legault says he had all but given up on ever graduating before the Learning Centre came into play for him.  "I was just going to George Mac before and that just wasn't working out for me so I came to RVLC here and the help's just insane here.  They'll go above and beyond for you.  I didn't think I'd be able to graduate.  I was going to go for my GDL but they said 'no, you can do it' and they just helped me out."

Legault says regular school left him in too large a class for his liking and he found the one on one attention he received from the Learning Centre to be more up his alley.  "They're super friendly and nice and just seem like family.  They always make sure you're doing your best and ask you how you're doing."

Along with his accomplishment of graduating, Legault has taken another big step in his future.  "I just got a job a dog daycare, Four On the Floor here in Airdrie.  I'm going to work there for a bit, just being a dog handler and then hopefully being able to do massages on dogs and just work my way up there doing stuff with animals."

Legault says his entire family is extremely proud of his accomplishment of graduating high school.  That includes the lady he wanted to do it for.  "My grandma's super proud.  I really wanted to do it for her because she always wanted to see me graduate.  I'm super happy and really proud of myself." 

The other person who could barely contain his pride was Principal Murray Arnold.  "I meet with these students and their parents and many of them come with some pretty sad stories about their educational experience and their life experience, so to watch them stand here today and walk across that stage brings tears to my eyes.  I love these kids and I am so proud of them."

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