Today was the day that Shads from across Canada would never forget. It would be the last day that all 47 of us at Shad Queen’s would be in the same room together.

I woke up to the daily “Good Morning” from my roommate feeling amazed at how quickly the days of the month had vanished before me. The whole morning was spent dedicated setting up for the Open day, Banquet, and Variety show. Being on the banquet committee, our job was to organize everything spanning from invitations, to the décor aspects of the dinner. Our theme for the banquet this year was a “Winter Evening in Paris”, and thus we hung 47 snowflakes across from the pillars of the dining hall. This was not only used to give rise to the idea of winter, but was used to represent the uniqueness of us all shads, as no two snowflakes are the same.

As the Shad Queen’s 09 Open Day arrived, many notable and honorary guests arrived, such as Barry Bisson—President of Shad Valley, and Gwyn Morgan—former President and CEO of EnCana Corporation.

The open day was followed the banquet, in which guests enjoyed a fine 5 star dinner! The variety show then took action, where the many Shad talents were showcased to the broad audience. The acts included pen spinning, a glow-in-the-dark robot dance, and a closing song done by all Shads which was “The Climb” (as it was constantly sung during the duration of the month!).

Soon the day — just like the month — was coming to an end. However, no Shad was expecting what was going to happen next. Our Program Directors announced that we were going outside and that we were not allowed to bring our cameras. We walked over to the lake beside our campus carrying candles, and low and behold there were candles set all around us (probably not just to keep the mosquitoes away). We sat down together and listened to the final words said by our community. One by one we brought our candles towards the lake and placed them into the sand.

I realized then that our earth is in constant turmoil and war, for singular supremacy and power. But we Shads represent a vastly different world; although we all come from different parts of Canada representing different cultures and beliefs, we did not fight for power, but for community, diversity, and friendships. At the end of our closing ceremony, we all went back to grab our candles which were no longer lighted.

Although we will all walk in different paths, the smoke from our candles will forevermore linger in the air we breathe, and thus we will never be apart from one another.

Uliana Kovaltchouk
Shad Valley Queen's
Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba