The end of June marked a time of auspicious celebrations for students in Niverville and Ritchot. A total of 61 graduates from Niverville Collegiate Institute (NCI) and 63 graduates of École Gabrielle-Roy took to the stage in cap and gown to commemorate their remarkable achievement and receive their high school diplomas.
Convocation for Gabrielle-Roy students took place on June 21 at the Prairie Rose Evangelical Church in Landmark. It was followed with a banquet and ball on June 22 at the Victoria Inn in Winnipeg.
Two valedictorians were chosen by their peers to speak on behalf of the students of Gabrielle-Roy: Annick Clément and Ariel Hébert.
“Many thanks to the teachers and the staff for sharing your time, your knowledge, your talents, your support, and your patience. Without you, we would not be here,” they said. “There are many things we have learned throughout our time in high school. We are all marathon runners, because we needed to run from our cars to school to be on time to class. We also know exactly how long it takes to get to the city and back if you use a bit of extra speed. We are dodgeball professionals, because we won almost every game since ninth grade, and we have also learned how to be a family and help each other out.”
Well over half of the grad students were awarded almost $50,000 in bursaries, prizes, and scholarships. A new bursary was given away this year to honour Paulette Laurencelle, a student who passed away in 1994. The esteemed Governor General’s Academic Medal, awarded to the student graduating with the highest grade point average from a Canadian high school, college, or university program, went to Emily Tremblay.
“These past four years have been very memorable, from the first day of school… to the last days of school,” the valedictorians concluded. “Now we are at the end of this chapter and it’s time to turn the page. We are all going to have new experiences in these coming chapters. Whatever your future holds… I wish you success and happiness.”
The convocation and banquet for NCI students took place on June 27 at the Fourth Avenue Bible Church and Niverville Heritage Centre. This year’s valedictorian, chosen by his peers, was Lijah Doell.
Doell compared their high school years to a game of Monopoly. The table game’s premise, he said, is to invest in properties and gain enough money to win. Likewise, students at NCI made investments in different kinds of “property” throughout their high school years, property that will help them better the course of their future. These investments have included creativity, compassion, commitment, character, and communication.
“Will the investments we have made be enough to help us reach our goals?” Doell asked the grads. “During our journey, there will be a variety of games we take part in where it’ll feel at times like the dice just isn’t bouncing our way. We might feel like we just picked up the ‘go to jail’ card… As we go through those times, we know we will fight with the properties we’ve invested in to overcome adversity and challenges that knock us down. As long as we remember the success that comes from the journey, we pick ourselves up and revise our game plan, [and] we will be able to succeed.”
Almost $73,000 in bursaries, scholarships, and awards were presented to just over one-third of the grads. The Governor General’s Academic Medal was awarded to Bailey Hiebert.
By far the biggest scholarship awarded this year was the University of British Columbia’s Centennial scholarship for a sum of $23,000 per year for four years. The deserving recipient was Marlon Wilson.
Wilson began attending NCI at the age of 17. Coming from a Manitoba reserve, he lacked high school credits and needed to start his journey in Grade Nine in order to attain them. Moving in with a local family, Wilson set his sights on his dream and overcame many odds. In his Grade 12 year, he became student council treasurer and yearbook editor. He also volunteered in Winnipeg’s core with inner city youth. He will be going on to study at UBC in their prestigious business program.