A Grade 12 graduate says it has been a special experience having the opportunity to grow up with his classmates.

Tommy Cranwill is graduating from St. Maurice School, where he attended school from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

"Personally, so far, I've been having a lot more fun than I thought I would be able to," Cranwill says. "It was pretty wild because the past year, that has pretty much been our school. We have been doing alternating in-person and online days, and so we rounded the year off with a little Grade 12 versus Grade 12 event where we had different games to play, so it was a good ending I'd say."

Earlier, Cranwill was unsure if he would have closure for the year but says this has not been the case. This week he is going to record his Valedictorian speech. Cranwill says his speech will "blend a little bit of humour with a little bit of sentimental value" for his classmates and teachers.

"My whole speech is sort of written like a thank you message to everybody including the graduates and I just wanted to recognize you know our accomplishments and how we got there and how the future will be great for all of us because I know that everybody in my grade is very capable."

What's next

Cranwill will be working this summer to raise money for university, where he will study engineering at the University of Manitoba. The grad does not yet know which specialization he wants to go into.

"The good thing about the field is that because it is so creative and applicable everywhere I think there is a lot of jobs that I could do and love."

This is part of an interview series of 2021 high school graduates in Manitoba.