Eagle Butte valedictorian Spencer Ford is excited to continue his studies at Medicine Hat College this fall. NEWS PHOTO KENDALL KING, JUNE 13, 2022.
Anna Smith
Southern Alberta Newspapers
The last few years have been a blur for Eagle Butte High School valedictorian Spencer Ford, but he’s looking forward to taking those next steps alongside his fellow graduates.
The path hasn’t always been easy, said Ford, with much of his high school career taking place over the pandemic, but even when alone, he found he always had something on the go to help.
“I’m pretty much always working on work,” said Ford. “That’s schoolwork. That’s during quarantine, especially, exercise. That’s hobbies, or studying other topics that are of interest to me like linguistics.”
Ford mentioned even combining activities, such as exercising or eating lunch while working on his school work, and learning to organize his day to get everything he wanted done at his own pace while learning was remote. It’s all about making the best and most efficient use of his time.
But an independent learning style hasn’t kept him from having fond memories of teachers.
“My math 20-1 teacher Dixie Sillito, she was a lot of fun. She taught me math 20-1 and CALM,” said Ford. “And then calculus 31 taught by Joyce Krause is a lot of fun. It’s a very nice environment in that class.”
There are some nerves, said Ford, as he moves on to post-secondary, but he feels “as prepared as anyone can be” for the next chapter of his life.
“Next year, I’m going to study university transfer science at Medicine Hat College. After that, I’ll go to the (University of Alberta), hopefully, for a bachelor’s degree in science with a specialization in palaeontology,” said Ford. “But really, I could see myself diverting into any one of a number of scientific fields. It is really all just fascinating to me.”
Ford spoke about his science courses at Eagle Butte, and fondly remembers talking about them with his dad after school.
“When I tell my dad about what we’re learning in science, he’s always amazed at how much farther, how much farther along in scientific study we are than the concepts he was learning about at the same time when he was in high school,” said Ford. “I can only interpret that as we’re getting a pretty good education.”
While Ford was originally shy about accepting his role as valedictorian for his graduating class, despite pride in his achievement, he’s now looking forward to giving what he hopes will be a memorable and unique address to his fellow students.
“It’s kind of the valedictorians job to tell the whole graduating class how much of a special experience high school has been, but I found a way to make it unique. I think I’m proud of that,” said Ford.
