The graduating class of 2023 at Sir James Dunn Academy had their graduation ceremony at the world-renowned KIRA Amphitheatre in St. Andrews by-the-Sea, which was also broadcast live on CHCO-TV. Although SJDA is a relatively small school in a town of just over 2,000 people, the community plays an integral role in the lives of students, from art classes at the local Sunbury Shore Arts & Nature Centre to daytrips the the Huntsman Marine Science Centre and KIRA Amphitheatre and Kingsbrae Garden to having their talent shows airing on the local television station CHCO-TV. It is not a surprise, then, that the community that has been a part of their lives--woven into their development as both students and people--played a large role in their graduating ceremony to make the day a special event.
The graduating class asked teacher Kathleen Clark, their chosen speaker at the ceremony, to address the class with inspiring words. 
"You survived a pandemic. You survived a forest fire and evacuations. You survived a biking accident. You survived cancer. You are graduating from high school. And you are going to proudly stand up here on the X in front of this group of your greatest supporters and accept some well earned accolades because you did a lot of hard things," said Clarke. "I put that in because I know for some of you, standing up there in front of this group of your cheering section can be very, very hard. But you're going to be awesome. You just need to know you can do hard things and it will lead you to achieving great things. So never give up."