Graduation Address 2026

Good morning families and friends, Board members and staff of St. Timothy’s, and our Grade 8 graduates who have worked long and hard to arrive at this special day. A warm congratulations to you all!

I’d like to start by asking the students a question. Can you tell me the name of an animal, bird, or insect that works really hard? Put your hand up if you have an idea. Three or four quick suggestions, please….

Notice that often the creatures we think of as hard-working do their work for the benefit of the whole species…the hive, the lodge, the termite hill. My personal favourite is the dragonfly. It has exquisite wings and it eats hundreds of mosquitoes a day. Many years ago, my husband and I were travelling and camping by the northern shore of Lake Superior. We had picked up some smoked whitefish and a vegetable pastry to share on a big rock as the full and glorious moon was rising over the lake. Just as we began our simple supper, the mosquitoes arrived…hordes of them! Just as we were about to retreat to our dark tent to eat our meal in peace, who should come to our rescue but a cloud of dragonflies. Each time a mosquito approached to sting, an acrobatic dragonfly swooped in to save us. It was as if the mighty armies of God had shown up to deliver us and restore our joy.

It seems that God has designed his creatures to be both marvellous and useful. Instinctually, animals know what to do each day. No decision-making needed. Bees collect pollen and make honey. Beavers build dams and lodges. But what about us? Summer holidays begin this afternoon. How will you decide to fill your days this summer?

Jesus summed up what is important in these words:

"Love God - with your heart, mind, and strength"

"Love your neighbour."

How can we love God with our minds this summer?

I recently had the privilege of listening to a commencement speech given by Fareed Zakaria, a respected journalist and commentator. He observed that the hot topic at graduation speeches in 2026 is AI, artificial intelligence. Although he acknowledged the tremendous potential of AI in the fields of science and data analysis, he preferred to focus his attention on H-I, that is, Human Intelligence. Zakaria spoke of the miracle of the human brain, weighing only three pounds and using less energy than the light bulb in your refrigerator. Human intelligence encompasses other “I” words such as intuition and imagination as well as the uniquely human capacity for compassion, sorrow, and conscience.

After a rigorous year of study, I expect that you would like to give your mind a few days of rest. However, as you look forward to a summer of swimming and ice cream, I’d encourage you to avoid the temptation to put your marvellous brain on a shelf until September. You will never have more time to read a good book, write in a journal, enjoy a classic film, or a play of Shakespeare. Your ability to memorize will never be better than it is now. Keep alive a few of your favourite poems or a psalm that you learned here at school…perhaps something funny by Edward Lear or a lofty choice like Ozymandias. Continue to master other languages. Spend time in a museum or an art gallery. Practise a musical instrument. Sing!

I’ve been reading the Acts of the Apostles recently. There we encounter Stephen and Paul, men who exercised their minds as students of Jewish law and Greek philosophy. They loved God with their minds, but they also loved God with their strength and their hands. Stephen was filled by the Spirit and gifted by God to provide for the most vulnerable in his community, widows who were being unjustly neglected. Loving God and his neighbour impelled Stephen to organize the collection and distribution of food for women and children in dire need. St. Paul is best known as a preacher and learned writer of letters. But Paul was also a tent-maker, a skill he probably learned when he was about your age. He travelled all around the Mediterranean with a pouch of the tools of his trade that allowed him to set up shop in the agora or marketplace wherever he visited. This gave Paul access to a respected place in each city. His profession as a tent-maker provided him with a means to be self-sufficient and opened doors for him to teach and preach the gospel of the risen Lord Jesus wherever he found himself.

Like Stephen and Paul and gifted women like Lydia and Tabitha, let us find ways to show love to our neighbours. Offer up your energy and strength to mow a lawn, paint a deck, or help someone move house. Perhaps this can be the summer when you bake cookies for a neighbour, learn how to use a drill, or change a bicycle tire. If you love camp, you may perfect canoeing strokes and landings, train to be a lifeguard or a teacher of camp crafts. Many of you are wonderful with children. Your creativity in art and drama are gifts to be shared.

Thus far, we have thought about loving God with our minds and our strength. Finally, let us love God with our heart and soul. Take time to be still before Him. Praise Him for shiny rocks, for birdsong and nimble dragonflies. Ask Him to share with you his great love for the world and for your neighbour. As Bishop Robert Barron often says, “Your life is not about you.”

In closing, may the mighty angels of God go before you. Seize the opportunities that come your way. It will be wonderful!

Rachel Bloomquist

was one of our first teachers at St. Timothy's. She taught in the lower grades until retiring just a few years ago. We were grateful for her wise words to our graduating class this year.