Fromyourearlydaysinkindergartentotoday’s graduation,youhavebeenanintegralpartofthe learningcommunity.Alongtheway,you’vemet challengeshead-on,builtlastingfriendships,and reachedimportantmilestones.Theseyearshave shapedyouandpreparedyouforwhatcomesnext. We’reproudofeverythingyou’veachievedandlook forwardtoseeingwhereyourpathtakesyou!
Congratulations to all our 720 Grade 12’s from Inglewood,Rockridge, Sentinel and West Vancouver Secondary. We are proudofyour accomplishments, talent and leadership. More than 90 post-secondaryinstitutions around the world agree.
At West Vancouver Schools, the focus is on who you areand whoyou want to become. Inspiring asense of discoverybegins on day one and continuesbeyondgraduation. Nearly 95 percent of WVSstudents attend post-secondaryschools within ayear of graduation to pursuetheir dreams and makeadifference.
DANIEL KIM SENTINEL SECONDARY OXFORD UNIVERSITY MATHEMATICS
JESSIE SHI WEST VANCOUVER SECONDARY CORNELL UNIVERSITY ENGINEERING
ADAM CHEN ROCKRIDGESECONDARY UBC APPLIED SCIENCES RECIPIENT OF THESCHULICH LEADER SCHOLARSHIP
ALEXANDRAYE SENTINELSECONDARY HARVEYMUDD COLLEGE ENGINEERING, SCIENCE &MATH
ACADIA UNIVERSITY
ARTCENTER COLLEGE OF DESIGN
BIOLAUNIVERSITY
BISHOP'S UNIVERSITY
BLANCHE MACDONALD
BCIT
BROCK UNIVERSITY
CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF THE ARTS
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY
CAPILANO UNIVERSITY
CARLETON UNIVERSITY
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
CORPUS CHRISTI COLLEGE
DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY
DUKE UNIVERSITY
DURHAM UNIVERSITY
EMORYUNIVERSITY
EMILYCARR
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
GREEN FLIGHT ACADEMY
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY
NICOLE BROWN, BOARDCHAIR
HARVEYMUDD, CLAREMONT COLLEGE
HURON UNIVERSITYCOLLEGE
IE UNIVERSITY
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
INSTITUTOMARANGONI
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
JUSTICEINSTITUTE OF BC
KING’S COLLEGE LONDON
KWANTLEN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY
LANGARACOLLEGE
MARYLAND INSTITUTE COLLEGE OF ART
MASSACHUSETTSINSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
MCGILL UNIVERSITY
MCMASTER UNIVERSITY
NEWYORK UNIVERSITY
OXFORD UNIVERSITY
PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
QUEEN’SUNIVERSITY
RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN
ROYALCOLLEGE OF SURGEONS
ROYALMILITARYCOLLEGE
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
ST FRANCIS XAVIER UNIVERSITY
ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY
TORONTOMETROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
UBC VANCOUVER &OKANAGAN
UNIVERSITYCOLLEGE OF LONDON
UNIVERSITYOFALBERTA
UNIVERSITYOFARIZONA
UNIVERSITYOFBUCKINGHAM
UNIVERSITYOFCALGARY
UNIVERSITYOFCALIFORNIADAVIS
UNIVERSITYOFCALIFORNIA LA (UCLA)
UNIVERSITYOFCALIFORNIARIVERSIDE
UNIVERSITYOFCALIFORNIASAN DIEGO
UNIVERSITYOFCALIFORNIASANTABARBARA
UNIVERSITYOFCENTRAL LANCASHIRE
UNIVERSITYOFEDINBURGH
UNIVERSITYOFEXETER
UNIVERSITY OF GENEVA
UNIVERSITYOFGUELPH
UNIVERSITYOFILLINOIS
UNIVERSITYOFLEEDS
UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA
CHRIS KENNEDY, SUPERINTENDENT
UNIVERSITYOFMICHIGAN
UNIVERSITYOFMILAN
UNIVERSITYOFNEVADA, LASVEGAS
UNIVERSITYOFNORTH CAROLINA,CHAPEL HILL
UNIVERSITYOFNOTRE DAME
UNIVERSITYOFOTTAWA
UNIVERSITYOFPENNSYLVANIA
UNIVERSITYOFPITTSBURGH
UNIVERSITYOFQUEENSLAND
UNIVERSITYOFSASKATCHEWAN
UNIVERSITYOFSYDNEY
UNIVERSITYOFTORONTO
UNIVERSITYOFUTAH
UNIVERSITYOFVERMONT
UNIVERSITYOFVICTORIA
UNIVERSITYOFWASHINGTON
UNIVERSITYOFWATERLOO
UNIVERSITYOFWISCONSIN
VANCOUVER COMMUNITYCOLLEGE WESTERN UNIVERSITY
YORK UNIVERSITY
ABBY LUCIANO aluciano@nsnews.com
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Graduation time is here. As senior students leave high school and enter the world, North Shore principals and teachers share advice on the road that lies ahead.
Collingwood School principal Martin Jones encourages students to try new things and figure out what it is they’re truly passionate about.
“This is such a unique period of time in young adults’ lives,” Jones said. “They’re leaving school, often moving away from family, they’re not married at this stage. So, it is just such a perfect time for them to explore.”
After high school, the next chapter for a student varies. Some pursue further education, others take a gap year to travel or volunteer, and others enter the workforce right away. Regardless of the path, Jones said it’s fine to take your time to decide.
“Don’t be in a rush to have to commit to any one thing, know that there are multiple pathways and as long as you have that great
Windsor Secondary principal Caren Hall stands in the cafeteria as the school year wraps up for the graduates.
PAUL MCGRATH / NSN
bag of learning skills, that you can figure out how to have success in your own way,” he said.
The learning skills Jones is referring to include creativity, communication and collaboration, giving students skills they need to navigate life after graduation.
ABBY LUCIANO aluciano@nsnews.com Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A hefty scholarship is opening the door for a group of North Shore students to pursue higher education.
Seven students who live on the North Shore are winners of the Beedie Luminaries Scholarship, a program that helps remove barriers to education for students across B.C who have taken on life challenges and face financial barriers. Each student will receive between $22,000 to $44,000 to help achieve their goals
Grade 12 Carson Graham student Fathia Zubedi is one of this year’s winners.
“I was so shocked. I ran downstairs and I told my mom,” Zubedi said. “She was so happy, we hugged, and it was just a really nice moment. My little siblings all running around being like, ‘Oh wow this is so cool.’”
Before finding out about the scholarship, Zubedi didn’t know how she was going to afford post-secondary.
The high school student helps her mom pay some of the bills plus her own expenses for her school and athletic costs with jobs she can get like being a score keeper at sports games.
“It’s basically just been my mom and my sister and I helping out as much as [we] can,” she said.
But when Zubedi found out she was one of the winners, she felt a huge weight off her shoulders.
“Getting that scholarship just kind of took away that weight off us and just so much relief came from it,” she said
Now the 17-year-old will be studying political science at the University of British Columbia in the fall, aiming to attend law school afterwards.
“University is said to be some of the best years of your life, so I’m just really excited to see what the courses are like, meeting new people and just really live that university
experience,” she said. “I’m hoping it’s going to be a great time.”
For Capilano University biology student Soraya Salehi, the scholarship signifies a path to education she might not have been able to pursue otherwise in her home country. Salehi was about to graduate high school when Afghanistan’s capital city Kabul fell to the Taliban on Aug. 15, 2021. She then had an overwhelming life changing choice to make – stay home or leave.
She packed her bags and moved to Canada by herself to finish her last year of high school
“It was actually my own decision, I decided to get out of there,” Salehi said. “Nobody really accepted, except my grandmother My grandmother was scared from Taliban because they are not good with women, especially girls…. She really supported me in this journey, and I luckily ended up being here.”
When Salehi moved to Canada, she went to North Shore Safe House for three months
where staff helped her with immigration paperwork. She now lives in her own apartment.
Salehi heard about the scholarship from an instructor when she was taking English classes at Capilano University in the fall. She was shocked when she received an email in March saying she won one of the scholarships.
“I was at work when I received the email, and then I’m like, ‘There’s no way,’ I didn’t know what to do,” she said. “My whole undergraduate [degree] is going to be covered. It’s a very big thing for me.”
She plans to continue a science degree at the local university and transfer to UBC.
Earning a scholarship was also a big surprise for British Columbia Institute of Technology electrical student Paige Charles Charles heard about the scholarship through a staff member at the school, suggesting she should apply
A huge relief came over the 20-year-old student when she found out she won.
Since age 15, Charles has been working to help support her family to relieve some of the stress from her mom paying off debts, she said.
“I’ve always worked so it hasn’t allowed me to save up enough money to have tuition for school, as well as my mom hasn’t been able to save up money for my education. So it meant a lot to just be able to go,” Charles said.
During her time in BCIT’s electrical foundations program, Charles studies and works full-time, putting stress on her classwork.
But now the scholarship will give Charles the chance to put more focus on school, finishing the electrical foundation program, with dreams of buying a house in Metro Vancouver afterwards.
“It is a wonderful opportunity that just gives me overall relief, just because of how hard life has been, and also there is a need for women in trades and that for me, for
women, anyone, that the trades really need more people, and that it’s constantly evolving,” she said
Scholarships funded through generous $50 million donation
The luminaries scholarship got its start in November 2018 after real estate developer and philanthropist Ryan Beedie donated $50 million in honour of his 50th birthday
Now, the program has helped more than 1,000 students, expanding the scholarship over the years to help trade and graduate students, single parents, refugees and new immigrants to Canada.
This year’s cohort awarded 280 students, said executive director of Beedie Luminaries Martina Meckova.
“One of the biggest barriers is financial barriers for students to attend post-secondary,” Meckova said, adding that providing additional support like peer support groups, and providing internship opportunities for students is equally as important.
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Centre found that 34 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds in North America choose not to attend post-secondary because of its financial burden.
Beedie Luminaries tries to bridge a gap in offering more opportunities for people to pursue education, she said
A recent social impact study from Beedie Luminaries found that 67 per cent of students would not be pursuing post-secondary education if it weren’t for the program
“Being an immigrant myself, coming to Canada and having somebody that believed in me and my potential and invested in me, my education and having a mentor….,” Meckova said. “My personal experience has played a key role in designing and managing Beedie Luminaries.”
The other North Shore winners are Karma Ahmed, Lala Lijefors, Alpha Diane Nicolas and Mahsa Heydarpour
ABBY LUCIANO aluciano@nsnews.com
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A group of graduating West Vancouver high school students can now say their creative work has been in an official art gallery.
The West Vancouver Grad Show is back at the Ferry Building Gallery, showcasing 34 works from graduating students from Collingwood, Mulgrave, Rockridge, Sentinel and West Vancouver secondary schools.
Leigh-Anne Niehaus, community arts supervisor for the Ferry Building Gallery, said this year features some unique pieces diving into the creative minds of students, ranging from paintings and sculptures to photographs and mixed media installations.
“The works are executed well and they’re extremely high standard. It’s very impressive,” Niehaus said. “That’s the feeling people get when they walk into the show – these are students, and they’re doing a really good job.”
Niehaus helps put the show together at the West Vancouver gallery. Staff work with teachers from the local schools to co-ordinate the exhibition, which has been an annual tradition since 2004.
Archer Slorendo from West Vancouver
Secondary is one of the graduating students who has her work in the show. The 18-year-old artist has two clothing pieces in the exhibit – a dragon mask used in the school’s production of The Hobbit, and a stained-glass inspired ball gown symbolizing both herself and cultural heritage from the Philippines.
The Head of Smog mask is made of a cardboard base with papier mâché and plaster, carefully decorated with fabric tassels and strips on the back to create a flowy design, giving the allusion of spikes that would be seen in traditional English dragons in mythology, Slorendo said.
“I costumed almost the entire cast last year and built a lot of the props, so The Head of Smog was something that I’m very proud of, that I wanted to show off,” she said.
Slorendo’s ball gown, crafted with a stained-glass style motif, is meant to share parts of her culture and her personality The ball gown’s sleeves resemble a cultural dress that many women wear in the Philippines, but also reveal parts of her identity, she said. One sleeve has a mango orchard with a sun to show the Philippines, while the other has bull kelp forests with a spotted harbour
Celebrateyour graduate’sachievementswithgraduation-themed tableware,décor andmore from your localpartyexperts. We knowhow to throw aparty! 879MarineDrive, NorthVancouver l 604-929-9202 l partycity.ca
GRADUATION • BIRTHDAY • BRIDAL SHOWER • WEDDING • BABY SHOWER GENDER REVEAL • HOLIDAYS • PRIDE • RELIGIOUS CELEBRATIONS
Continued from B5
seal to represent the Pacific Northwest. For the skirt of the dress, each panel has a symbol representing major points in her life.
A witch and a fairy represent Slorendo and her best friend, who has helped her through difficult moments in her life. Others are a dragon in a tree with a rising sun and an angel holding a sword – both representing her strength and resilience as she has struggled with depression.
I have this whole belief that to understand art and to see art is to see the artists in a form that a lot of people don’t see them. It is such a raw form of expression that you really get to know them personally.
STUDENT ARTIST ARCHER SLORENDO
“I have this whole belief that to understand art and to see art is to see the artists in a form that a lot of people don’t see them. It is such a raw form of expression that you really get to know them personally,” Slorendo said “It’s really been a labour of love over the past few years to create this dream dress from my childhood.”
Abby Horlick from West Vancouver Secondary decided to create something new for the grad show The artist painted a tiger in three separate frames, using vibrant reds, yellows and greens
Horlick said she took inspiration after looking at ancient Eastern Asian artwork, eventually leading her to create a tiger
“The tiger is more courageous, brave motif,” Horlick said “I thought having its belly shown was a little bit metaphorical there as well, I wanted to show the other side of that kind of tiger.”
Horlick worked on the tiger piece in her art class and feels honoured to have her work recognized in the gallery.
“It just felt really nice to be recognized like that,” she said “Obviously I do art for my own benefit, but having other people recognize it as something worth displaying felt really good, so I’m very happy to be part of it.”
The West Vancouver Grad Show is running for free at the Ferry Building Gallery until June 29.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
Capilano University,Emily Carr University,McGill University QueensUniversity, SimonFraserUniversity SimonFraserUniversity– Beedie School of Business University of Auckland,UniversityofBritish Columbia UniversityofVictoria info@stalcuincollege.com 236-308-4428 |alcuin.ca
Argyle Secondary principal Laura Ames echoes Jones’s advice – to embrace the unknown, explore the world and be open to new ideas.
“I see so many grads going on neat journeys after high school that aren’t what they necessarily planned for I think it’s amazing to have a plan leaving high school, and I think it’s equally great to be able to pivot from that plan as life happens,” Ames said. “To be able to embrace new challenges, ideas, experiences that come your way and let that impact what your life will become.”
Graduating high school can be an exciting time but also nerve racking. Staying true to your roots can help a student feel more grounded when entering the world, she said.
The education students receive and the relationships they’ve built with friends and school staff are a base to launch from, navigating new experiences and finding their new pathway, Ames said.
“Where we grow up is a big part of who we become,”she said.
Ames also stresses the importance of students staying curious and asking hard questions in the world and workforce.
The world and workforce are rapidly changing, but now more than ever, character and integrity are key elements people
are looking for when hiring, said Windsor Secondary principal Caren Hall.
“One of the biggest questions we get asked now for references is: ‘Is the candidate dependable? Do they show up on time? What are your absences? Do you have integrity when you show up to your job?’
People want to work with people that are fully invested,” Hall said
Hall also stressed the importance of students being well-rounded in understanding the world to make informed decisions and their role in it.
Hall and West Vancouver Secondary teacher Mahesh Chugani also stressed the importance of making mistakes when out in the “real world.”
“If you didn’t make any mistakes, you’d be a perfect robot and we don’t want that,” Chugani said. “The more mistakes you make, the more you will learn. So don’t worry about mistakes. Just do your best.”
But, above all, Hall said to be yourself in the world.
“Everybody has so much to offer just by being themselves,” Hall said “Everybody brings different things to their communities, work sites, schools they’re going to. And whatever unique things that they can bring [are] going to serve their communities that they’re going to be in.”
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES LOCAL389 (North Vancouver) wouldliketocongratulate thefollowing recipients of ourfifteenannual$1,000.00 Scholarships: STUDENTSCHOLARSHIPS
ZeyusSpentaHeyuZhang HandsworthSecondaryWindsor Secondary
AlexandraHeywood
Nick Smith
Sutherland SecondaryHandsworth Secondary
NahalKeshtkaranElizabeth Bromley West VancouverSecondaryHandsworth Secondary
Sofia Alladina ClareGoodison
St.Thomas AquinasSecondaryWindermereSecondary
Maxwell Hoskin Rachel Richards
BurnabyMountainSecondaryArgyleSecondary
CINDY MCQUEEN HIGHER LEARNING SCHOLARSHIPS
Nima Niknam GraceLeishman
NorthVancouver District Library NorthVancouverDistrictLibrary
Aylenna HollandRandiCrowe
NorthVancouver City LibrarySchool District No.44
Thomas Messent
NorthVancouver Recreation andCulture Commission
On behalf of themembership of CUPE Local389,weextendour sincere congratulationstoall scholarship winners andgraduates of theClass of 2025!
KGMSisproud to recognize theaccomplishments of this year's graduates. Theseresilient learners areheadingintouniversities,colleges, trades, careers, and pursuingpersonal goals. They areequippedwith skills, confidence,and curiositytothrive.Theyare readytofacechallenges, embraceopportunities, and make ameaningful impactinthe world.
The Classof2025represents ablend of individuality and ambition.
Their post-secondary journeys will span across Canada, the United States, Europe, and beyond. This groupisunited by the foundation built at Mulgrave, wheretheyexplored deeply,grewauthentically, andpursued their passions. As theytaketheir next steps, theycarry with them astrong senseofpurpose,which will continue to shape who theyare and howtheycontribute to the world.
The university itself is an artifact fromcenturies ago,and after visitingits streets,libraries, and colleges, Ifound that it was fitting forconducting my studies Iknewitwould provide many opportunities to expand my level ofunderstanding and to do fieldwork in the futureto practicemyskills.”
Allen H|Classical Archaeology
&Ancient History
Oxford University
Exploreour grads' stories to learn more about howtheyhavefound their fit at findyourfit.mulgrave.com
Mulgraveopened the door to so manydiscoveries! Having access to specialised art spaces to try different mediums and tools, and being encouraged to playwith different materials, wasa huge factor in my growing passion forfashion design.”
Amanda N|Fashion Design
Parsons School of Design
Eachofour 93 graduatesisembarking on a post-secondarypathway thatbestfits them.
With the guidanceofuniversity counsellors, teachers, and families, theyexplored their passions, identified strengths, and carved their futurejourneys.Wewill eagerly follow along as this group spreads its wings in these diverse programmes of study:
•Architecture
•Arts &Social Sciences
•Biomedical Sciences
•Business
•Classical
Archaeology & Ancient History
•Economics
•Engineering
•Environmental Science
•Fashion
•Film
•Financial
Mathematics
•Health Science
•Kinesiology
•Law
•Liberal Arts
•Management & Organisational Studies
•Media Studies
•Medicine
•Nursing
•Politics, Psychology, Law&Economics
•Psychology
•Real Estate
•Science
•Social Sciences
•Sports Management
