Wednesday June 14, 2023 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke, Editor | Island Social Trends
It’s grad season in the west shore!
The approximately 920 students completing high school in 2023 will have spent most of their senior years in a school system grappling with the experiences of the COVID pandemic during 2020 and 2021.
Graduating into the post-COVID ‘new normal’ is another unique experience that this group of teens can include in their repertoire.
They may find themselves more resilient and more creative than other cohorts, at various times in their adult lives. They may also experience some ramifications of stress and trauma in the years ahead, sometimes unexpectedly.
A whole new generation of young adults will carve this new path branded with the awareness that situations can change and with skills of resiliency and adaptation. In light of the housing crisis, climate change crisis, and population changes in BC, there will be many challenges ahead for which these leaders of tomorrow will be suitably prepared.
High school graduation ceremonies:
There are three large high schools in the Sooke School District (SD62) — one in each of Langford, Colwood and Sooke. The Westshore Secondary has students from across the school district. Grad event dates have been spread out:
- Indigenous Education Recognition celebration – May 24 (held at Royal Bay Secondary to recognize all Indigenous grads from across the Sooke School District)
- EMCS grad (190 grads) – was held June 3 (at the Farquhar Auditorium at UVic)
- Royal Bay Secondary grad (330 grads) – was held June 4 (at the Farquhar Auditorium at UVic)
- French Immersion Graduation Ceremony (at Belmont) – was held June 8.
- Belmont Secondary (350 grads) – was held June 11 (at the Farquhar Auditorium at UVic)
- Westshore Secondary (49 grads) – coming up June 28 (to be held at Royal Roads University)
Valedictorians:
Valedictorian themes so far have included resilient relationships, inclusion, diversity, kindness, and moving into the next chapter. Valedictorians for the class of 2022/23 at the various schools:
- Edward Milne Community School: Rylan Domenichelli (Valedictorian) | Zander Adams (Indigenous Valedictorian) | Benat Garat and Owen Hilderly (Class Historians)
- Belmont Secondary: Connor Hogan – Valedictorian | Kaydence Kauffman – Indigenous Valedictorian
- Royal Bay Secondary: Tanisha Spiller (Indigenous Valedictorian) | Audrik Carpio and Helena Valerrama Espinosa (Ecole Royal Bay Valedictorians)
- Westshore Secondary: Valedictorians by region: Amanda Bowers (Colwood); Logan Charlie (Indigenous); Destiny Strecheniuk (Sooke), Ryan Parker (Langford).
Final count to come:
SD62 says that the number of graduates is currently approximated at 920, as final grades need to come in to determine an exact number.
Spreading wings, near and far:
After graduation, a world of opportunities await. For grads going on to post-secondary, a new close to home option will include the Royal Roads University West Shore Campus starting September 2024.
Other post-secondary options on Vancouver Island include Camosun College in Saanich, and Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo.
Further afar options include UBC in Vancouver, SFU in Burnaby, and Three Rivers University in Kamloops.
Post-secondary education will be required for 80 percent of jobs in BC by the year 2030, according to the BC Ministry of Post-Secondary and Future Skills.
Journey for parents:
Graduation is also a time where parents reassess and revise the journey of their family. Whether students remain close to home or travel afar causes a shift in the family dynamic.
===== RELATED:
Future Ready skills-to-economy matching amidst quarter-million population influx (May 2, 2023)
Foundational day for Royal Roads West Shore campus (February 1, 2023)
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends (and the previous publications MapleLine Magazine 2008-2010, Sooke Voice News 2011-2013, and West Shore Voice News 2014-2020) delivers socioeconomic news insights about life on the west shore of south Vancouver Island.
All news is posted at IslandSocialTrends.ca . Editor Mary P Brooke has been covering news of SD62 in-depth at the board and committee level since 2014. She raised her four children who attended schools in SD61 and SD62 during 1990-2015. | SD62 news section | COVID ARCHIVE
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