It was a speech meant to celebrate everything her graduating class has accomplished, but the valedictorian at Cole Harbour District High School says she was told to remove a special part of the speech honouring the memory of a classmate.

“This year, we lost one of our own. I know sitting here today without one of your closest friends can't be easy, but today when we cross that stage to receive our diplomas we bring Michael with us,” is the part of her valedictory speech that Abby Cenerini didn't get the chance to say.

Michael was a classmate of Abby's who passed away tragically on Jan. 21.

Friends and family call him compassionate and well known. The loss was felt by hundreds of students and staff; one Cenerini felt compelled to recognize.

“I knew Michael had an impact on a huge part of my school,” she said. “I didn't even hesitate about putting him in it, and something to remember him and honour him because I knew it was so important to everyone.I know that I was hard for so many of our students to finish off this year without our fellow Cavalier.”

But when graduation day came - she says the part of her speech that mentioned Michael had been taken out of the paper copy waiting for her at the podium.

“About 10 minutes before the ceremony started, a teacher came up to me, she was the one who had worked with me on my speech, and just told me that the principal had told her to tell me that that part of my speech was against student policy, or against HRSB policy, and that they had to take it out,” Cenerini said.

Administration at the school could not be reached for comment, but the Halifax Regional School Board says when it comes to certain topics - like suicide - schools rely on advice from experts like Dr. Stan Kutcher, a professor of psychiatry at Dalhousie University.

Kutcher encourages everyone to take a step back and think about all the people in the room.

“In any large group of people there may be young people who are at risk,” he said.“It's not just good enough to think ‘how will the average person react to what we're discussing?’ But to think carefully about how and what we are doing could impact those who may be most at risk?”

But Cenerini’s speech didn't mention suicide at all, and says the administration had the speech for about a month before graduation.

She questions why the school didn't come to her sooner and work on that part of the speech together.

A day after the event, she posted the original version online.

“It was mostly just a message to the students saying that he was not forgotten and that I just wanted them to know that I had him in my thoughts,” Cenerini said. “I thought he deserved that.”

CTV Atlantic spoke with Michael’s family, who say they appreciate her thoughtfulness.

Abby says the 156 words were solely meant to remember a classmate -- and acknowledge the strength of her fellow graduates.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Laura Brown.