Friends, family and community members gathered under cloudy skies, narrowly avoiding rain, to celebrate the success of Sun Peaks Secondary Academy graduates Tuesday, June 20.
This year’s cohort is the largest to date, with nine students officially moving on to the next stage of their lives – all with honours. 2023’s graduation included one student who received their education locally from kindergarten through grade 12.
After attending a private ceremony, soon-to-be graduates rode down the Sun Burst Express chairlift before walking through the village, where attendees greeted them with cheers. The public portion of the ceremony was emceed by Laurel Seafoot, vice president of Sun Peaks Secondary.
The public ceremony provided an opportunity to celebrate the graduates while thanking the community for their support and highlighting students’ achievement, Seafoot said in her speech.
“Our students have been lucky enough to learn in this beautiful setting,” she said. “They have been leaders, employees, students, community members, adventurers and risk-takers.”
The graduating class of 2023 includes James Escott, Mattias Grunling, Brock Hawes, Grace Kilba, Aiden Kramer, Noah Lara, Charlie Roberts, Nicole Shaw and Cole Shieven.
Mayor Al Raine was in attendance as well, and he told the graduates that while there is often a bleak narrative about the world today, he believes that they are entering a world in which people are free to express their identities fully while encouraging the young adults from Sun Peaks to help change the world for the better.
“There are great things that you can make happen,” Raine exclaimed to a clapping audience. “Make it happen.”
Trish Landry, a representative of Sun Peaks Education Society, told the audience and students that while being educated in a small community comes with some limitations, there are also opportunities to connect.
“You have had the opportunity to form deep and meaningful connections with your peers, your teachers, your community members that you may not have had in a larger setting,” she said.
Darcy Alexander, general manager of Sun Peaks Resort (SPR), provided graduates with five scholarships from SPR. The Rotary Club of Sun Peaks, Sun Peaks Independent News, and Raine and his wife Nancy Greene Raine and Remax Alpine Sun Peaks also awarded students scholarships.
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