Guess who? P.E.I. grad photos are a blast from the past

Graduates at high schools across P.E.I. are getting ready to cross schoolstages, pick up their diplomas, and ask their classmates to sign their yearbooks.

• Guess who? Check out these P.E.I. throwback prom photos

Here's a look back at the grad photos of some well-known Islanders. See if you can guess who they are before you read!

1. Sherwood-born

He grew up in the Sherwood neighbourhood of Charlottetown, finishing out his school years in Halifax where he graduated from St. Patrick's High School in 1990, while co-hosting the CBC TV teen show Street Cents.

The comedian and television star wrote in his yearbook that he was "quiet" and "shy," joking that he planned to one day host CBC's The National.

He recentlyfinished a 10-year stint as J-Roc in the popular mockumentary series Trailer Park Boys.

Jonathan Torrens is married and lives inTruro, N.S., and is involved in several projects including The Fanstastic Hour, a CBC comedy web series.

2. 'My ambitions were to sing, and be a lawyer'

This singer-songwriter left P.E.I. when she was 13 after attending Stonepark Intermediate, graduating in 1991 from Mount Douglas Secondary in Saanich, B.C.

"My ambitions were to sing, and to be a lawyer," she recalls. "My high school experience was great I got the fine arts award and graduated with honours."

Now a summer resident of the Island, she will be headlining three nights a week in a show called Atlantic Blue at The Guild in Charlottetown all summer. The show is a celebration of East Coast songwriters and features guests Cynthia MacLeod, Todd MacLean, Mark Geddes and Caroline Bernard.

'I would say to anyone graduating today, that life is amazing and to fearlessly create things whatever your heart tells you," she said.

"Success is preparation plus opportunity. So be ready when the opportunity presents itself and walk through the door with grace, courage and integrity but most importantly, always be kind," she advises.

3. 'Fairly quiet and shy'

The NHL star recalls he had the same worries and concerns as most of his classmates "Was I fitting in OK? Would I be ready for the test the next day? I wish I had the guts to talk to that girl," he laughs.

It's hard to believe the Islander known around the world asDarthMcQuaidoror TheQuaidinatorwas once, in his own words, "fairly quiet and relatively shy."

He moved to Sudbury, Ont, to play hockey for most of his Grade 12 year. When he graduated in 2004 he recalls feeling a little jealous of most of his friends who would all be attending UPEI together "Part of me wished I was going with them. But at the end of the day that was one of the sacrifices I had to make to see where hockey could take me."

He was drafted into the NHL not long after, and began playing for the Boston Bruins in 2010, taking home theStanley Cup in his first full seasonwith the team,earning a rep as a grittydefenseman.

"My advice to kids graduating this year would be to fully enjoy the whole process, the prom, graduation and everything in between," McQuaid advises. "Take the time to thank all the people that helped you get to this point."

"There are many great moments in life ahead and whatever you want to do, put all your effort into it, be passionate about it and you will get where you want to don't lose faith and stick with it," said McQuaid.

He may return to university when his hockey career is done, he said.

4. 'Some unmentionables'

This senior P.E.I. politician graduated from Charlottetown Rural High School in 1972,confessinghe "had a lot of harmless fun during high school."

The Rural yearbook noteshe was on student council, organized the winter carnivaland took part in "some unmentionables."

"There wasn't much pressure to study in the second half of Grade 12, so we'd occasionally cut an afternoon of classes to go touring. You might say that contributed to our education," he explains.

He recalls skipping class one afternoon, piling into a car with friends and driving to Bordenwhere they boarded the original M.V. Abegweit on foot, travelling to Cape Tormentine and back.

"I suspect the ferry workers knew what we were doing. It was a good deal, a two-way cruise on a stylish vessel for the price of a one-way foot-passenger ticket," Premier Wade MacLauchlan muses now.

MacLauchlan gets a kick out of the fact that the premier's office is now decorated with some of the light fixtures from the old ferry.

5. Peter Pan?

Back in the 1980s in Scotland, graduation was pretty low-key, with no yearbooks, photos or prom,shares this provincial politician.

So, there are no "painful pictures to remind me what a pathetic loser I was back then," he jokes.

The above photo is from his graduation from the University of Glasgow Dental School in 1984 at age 22.

The entry next to his photo notes he "spends the majority of his spare time blowing his own trumpet."

Green Party leader Peter Bevan-Baker was elected to the legislative assembly in 2015, and lives in Hampton, P.E.I., with his wife Ann.

6. Juno award-winner

"My yearbook quote reads, '40% isn't a good mark but it goes good with orange juice!'" laughs this Juno-award-winning musician, who graduated from Souris regional high school in 2004.

"Not very inspirational but I think it describes where my head was at in Grade 12," he said.

He started playing bass and touring Canada with siblings and cousins in the band Kindle when he was just 15.

"In Grade 12 I became obsessed with my little makeshift recording studio in my bedroom," he recalls.

"I remember quitting the basketball team I could barely dribble the ball anyway so I could record songs I was writing. I still haven't lost that excitement."

Tim Chaisson wrote that his future aspirations were "to sell a million records," and said he's working on it.

When he's not touring with The East Pointers in Australia, the UK and North America, Tim and his wife Jane split their time between P.E.I. and Costa Rica.

7. Love Lift Us Up

The Island Morning co-host graduated in 1983 from Bathurst High School in New Brunswick, where he recalls the classic Love Lift Us Up was the theme song.

"I rememberKarlaCoughlanwon everything and piled all her academic awards on me during the grad ceremony. My parents took a shot of me with them all on my lap we still laugh about," he said.

Michel "Mitch" Cormier wrote in his yearbook that he would be involved in media, and voila! His dreams have come true. He was also on the varsitycurling team and active in the drama club.

8. 'Too much truth'

This CBC P.E.I. journalist graduated from Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School in Brandon, Manitoba, in 1989.

"I was elected valedictorian by my peers which, I have no doubt, is part of the reason the administration began appointing valedictorians two years later," he said.

The speech went over well, he recalled, but it almost didn't happen.

"The day before graduation, I was required to show my speech to two of the school's vice principals," he said. They were not impressed and demanded major rewrites.

"I remember they were particularly offended at my accurate description of the school's 'smoking doors' which were regularly littered with cigarette butts. Too much truth," he remembers.

On graduation day, the principal looked over the speech and "was able to appreciate what I think was a good mix of truth and humour."

Not only was he valedictorian, he also composed a song for the graduation ceremony, entitled Never Give Up on a Dream.

"Just string together the cheesiest lines you can think of on that topic and you probably have it. I remember the line 'surely if you try you can use your wings to fly,' and feel a flush of embarrassment to this day," said Kerry Campbell.

9. Capital Islander

P.E.I.'s newest senatorgraduatedfrom Athena High School in Summerside in 1965, when her last name was still Laughlin.

She went on to graduate from St. Dunstan's University, which became part of UPEI. She worked inthe non-profit sector and governmentand was on town council in Stratford, P.E.I., before her appointment to the senate last fall.

The photo was taken by Heckbert Studio of Summerside, which is still in business.

Diane Griffin's advice to graduates "pick a goal, work hard and have fun."

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