North Peace Secondary School graduates celebrated Friday

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — North Peace Secondary School’s (NPSS) class of 2023 celebrated a milestone on Friday, walking the stage to graduate in front of friends, family, teachers and classmates.

To kick off the 2023 graduation, Kyahna Wendland sang O’Canada before messages from School District 60 staff and local politicians.

Superintendent Stephen Petrucci thanked all of the staff in School District 60 for “making this possible.”

“Graduates, now more than ever before, you now have agency, you have a choice. Not only in your own outlook but also in your associations,” Petrucci said.

“You’ve certainly formed some strong friendships and social circles in the last 13 years. Many of these meaningful, constructive relationships will continue for a lifetime.”

Chair of the School District 60 Board Helen Gilbert, MLA Dan Davies, Acting Mayor of Fort St. John Sarah MacDougall and Mayor of Taylor Brent Taillefer also addressed the smiling graduates.

Principal, Todd Koponyas, started his address by saying they only had to listen to him once more.

“Whatever your plans are, I would like you to remember that time, effort and perseverance are some of the tools that you have learned and earned over the past 13 years,” Kopanyas said.

“Don’t be afraid to use them, don’t be afraid to explore new options, don’t be afraid to be creative and don’t be afraid to take educated chances.” 

After scholarships and bursaries were announced, class historian Venice Aspi talked about her classmates’ journey through kindergarten to high school.

“As class historian, I’m supposed to gather every event since we’ve stepped foot in NPSS and condense it all into one little speech,” Aspi said.

“But absolutely no amount of time of me up here rambling on and on could actually equal to how much are class has actually accomplished.”

Class valedictorian Owen Lang started his address with a selfie of himself and his classmates.

“It’s astonishing to think about how fast we grew up without even realizing it,” Lang said.

“To think about the endless laughter and inside jokes that were made within our high school walls since 2020. Years spent making core memories with each other, and now we’re here.”

Tara Carnell also sang a heartfelt song to her classmates, and the NPSS senior band performed a couple of songs at the ceremony.

The graduating class of 2023 at NPSS consisted of approximately 365 students, who will celebrate tonight with the Grade March, followed by GradFest Friday night.

The full ceremony can be viewed on Energeticcity.ca’s YouTube.

The complete list of graduates, speakers and scholarships can be found below: