H.J. Cody High School valedictorian Landon Black broke the school record securing an average of 98.6 per cent based on his Grade 12 classes.

The class of 2022 will celebrate the graduation on June 25.

“The school and my teachers definitely helped me reach my highest potential and allowed me to achieve this accomplishment,” Black said.

With an inclination towards physics, Black hopes to attend the University of Alberta for engineering.

“I like looking at different things at a smaller level to understand how calculations can affect things in the real world.”

Principal Mike Garrow shared his pride in watching Black persevere through challenging times to achieve this level of academic success, while being actively engaged in athletics and peer-tutoring.

“He always strives to do better and if there’s anything that he makes a mistake on or needs to learn further, he asks for critical feedback from his teachers. He’s a really strong representative of our grad class,” Garrow said.

Black reminds his peers to be proud of navigating their way to graduation through the pandemic.

“No matter how you finished in academics, you should be proud. Due to all the extenuating circumstances with COVID-19, I feel like us as a grad class have done really well pushing through.”

Garrow wishes all young graduates the very best for their future endeavours.

“The opportunities are there for them now that we are almost through the pandemic.”