Grad Class of One!
By Joan Janzen
Not every graduate gets 100 percent of the attention on grad day, but Taylor Kinch-Wilke did. She was the sole 2024 graduate at Altario School in Alberta, located 74 km northwest of Marengo. Taylor had been attending Westcliffe School in Marengo but transferred to the Altario School in Grade 10.
Taylor Kinch-Wilke was the sole graduate at the Altario School graduation on May 3, 2024. She said she chose her poofy gown to help fill up the stage a little bit. Submitted
“I transferred to get the right help to deal with my ADHD. It felt like the right place to be when my mom and I had a tour of the school,” she recalled. It turns out that they were right because her grades improved, and she felt she had the support she needed.
The success of her academic endeavours was celebrated at her grad ceremony on May 3. Taylor looked gorgeous in her beautiful navy blue gown. “We wanted it to be big and poofy, so it filled up the stage a little bit,” she explained.
“Seated in the front row were my classmates from Marengo and the Grade 11’s. They all threw hats up in the air when I threw my hat in the air,” she said. “After the ceremony, the grade 11 students conducted a tour of the school, the barn, the fodder system and the grocery.”
As the guest of honour, Taylor chose the guest speakers at the banquet. “My MC was my social teacher, who is an amazing teacher. The EA I had for the past three years was one of my guest speakers, and the other was my counsellor at Westcliffe,” she explained. The evening concluded with everyone heading to the Alsask rec centre and hanging out.
There’s a total of fifty-plus students at the school. “There were four of us in Grade 10 when I started, but I became the only student in my grade this year,” Taylor said. She joined in with the grade 11 students and also had online classes with two nearby schools.
A unique feature of the school is the Altario Agriculture Academy. “Our barn is right beside our playground, and across the street is the fodder system and hydroponics modular. I’m the grocery manager and work in hydroponics. We supply vegetables to our community,” she explained.
“We have a store in the school called The Hive, where there’s art, Ukrainian baking and items from small businesses. The community is very involved in the school.”
Now that Taylor’s poofy gown is hanging in the closet and the school year is drawing to a close, she has made plans to attend Lakeland College in Vermilion in the fall. She will be taking a two-year Youth and Child Counseling program.
As for her graduation, it was a one-of-a-kind experience, and she cherished every moment.