Grunthal graduates will don cap and gown Tuesday to commemorate over a decade of education complete.

Principal Angela Burtnack-Schinkel says the class of 60 students, which is down from 63 last year, is a group who put effort into lending a helping hand, are good role models in the school and lead by example. Burtnack-Schinkel says she hopes the graduates continue to be kind, be curious, not give up and be true to themselves.

"Serve others, get involved in your community, give back to the programs and organizations that have allowed you to build a strong moral compass and the programs that have allowed you to become the person that you are today," she notes. "Be lifelong learners, enjoy learning, embrace life, embrace change, embrace differences, and become more educated not only about your community but about the world."

Valedictorians for the graduating class are Jasper Esau and Sean Friesen. Esau says her grade is a diverse group of students and her interests and time was spent in athletics, which created a positive school experience for herself.

Friesen mirrors the statement of diversity and says, "we've got huge amounts of talent in our class and it's very diverse talent. We have really athletic people and then we have people who are incredibly artistic, incredibly smart too. I think all they need is the motivation and the belief that they can do it and then they're going to go out there and we're going to see some pretty great people from this class."

Burtnack-Schinkel adds her hope is each student finds their passion in life, doesn't give up, and understands that pursuing what makes them happy will also give them a sense of accomplishment and pride. Esau notes her hope for her classmates is in the future they continue to pursue their gifts and talents.

Friesen adds, "I don't think they should be afraid to fill their potential. I think we are all like little balls of raw potential, Grade 12 students. We can go anywhere and be anything. I think they need to find something that they feel fulfilled doing and that they're going to be able to be happy in and bring happiness to other people. I think they should pursue that with all the gusto they can."

Graduation takes place at 4:30 on Tuesday at the Emmanual Evangelical Free Church in Steinbach.