PEAK Grad 2025

Messages to the graduating class

North Island-Powell River MP Randene Neill

Congratulations to the Brooks Secondary School Class of 2025. I am honoured to offer my heartfelt congratulations to each and every one of you who are graduating from Brooks Secondary School.

Graduation marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. You’ve navigated your way through challenges and opportunities and done so with strength,

Tla’amin Nation hegus John Hackett

Congratulations, graduating class of 2025!

Graduating is a major accomplishment and honourable milestone to achieve; your parents, family and community are very proud of you all... ʔəmot !!!

You are all leading by example by demonstrating your commitment and dedication to your education. This is one of many chapters that you have now completed on your life’s journey. Each

creativity and perseverance. Your dedication as you’ve matured shows the kind of leadership our community and province need.

As you celebrate this milestone in beautiful qathet, know your achievements have made your families, teachers and the whole community proud. Whether your plans include heading to university, learning a trade,

of you will have the decision to set the sights on the beginning of your next chapter.

The advice I have to offer to all the grads is to find balance, set the crosshairs on your career… plan out your path to hit that target…but at the same time, take in the moments along the way.

It is the journey that you will reflect on; these are the memories that will stay with you for a lifetime. Take in and learn our Tla’amin his-

City of Powell River mayor Ron Woznow

travelling or discovering your next steps, I encourage you to follow your curiosity, stay grounded in your values and keep giving back to the places and people who helped you grow.

Brooks grads, you’re ready for whatever comes next. Take what you’ve learned, speak up and make things happen. We’re excited to see where you go from here. Best wishes.

tory, cultural practices and our ʔayʔaǰuθəm language, but at the same time explore this beautiful earth. Take in the diversity of world culture and you will all discover how amazing each day is.

Surround yourselves with loved ones and positive people to keep your spirit healthy and strong to guide you to make decisions based on our taʔaw.

As you stand on the threshold of graduation, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations on this remarkable achievement. You’ve put in a great deal of effort to reach this milestone, and you have every reason to feel proud.

Graduation is a moment to look back on everything you’ve accomplished, and to look ahead at all that lies before you. You’ve spent countless hours studying, writing and preparing for exams. Along the way, you’ve gained new skills, formed lasting friendships and grown in ways you may not have imagined.

Brooks Secondary School principal Jasmin Marshman

Your past 13 years have been leading to this moment; you are all stepping off the cliff and you are ready.

But let’s be clear. You don’t have to have it all figured out right now. You don’t even have to have a dream.

If you have something you’ve always wanted to do, go for it. But if like many, you don’t have a dream, don’t force it. Instead, focus on passionate dedication in the pursuit of short term goals. Be micro-ambitious, put your head down and

work with pride on whatever is in front of you.

You never know where you’ll end up when you lift your head and look up.

If you focus too far in front of you, you won’t see the shiny thing out of the corner of your eye.

You do not need to already know what you want to do with the rest of your life.

Life will sometimes seem long, tough and tiring, and you will sometimes be happy and sometimes sad. There is only one thing to do with this amazing, magical, existence: fill it.

But this is only the beginning. As you step into the next chapter of your life, new opportunities and challenges await. You’ll have the chance to explore different paths, meet new people and experience the world in fresh and exciting ways.

As you celebrate this significant moment, remember that your future is full of promise. You have the power to make a difference, to create, and to leave a lasting, positive impact.

Congratulations once again on your graduation. Wishing you success and fulfillment in all your future endeavours.

Life is best filled with learning about as much as you can, taking pride in whatever you are doing, having compassion, sharing ideas, being enthusiastic, and all the other stuff like love, travel, art and music, maybe a spouse, maybe kids, and maybe mountain climbing.

It’s an incredible exciting thing, this wonderous life of yours, and you are right at the starting line. I’m very grateful that when I looked up, I saw this opportunity, because you are the shiny thing that caught my eye.

qathet School District board chair Jaclyn Miller

Dear graduates. Congratulations on reaching this important milestone. The Class of 2025 has shown remarkable resilience, creativity and care through years filled with both challenges and growth.

You’ve earned more than a diploma; you’ve built a foundation. Along the way, you’ve learned not just from textbooks and tests, but from the moments that often go unnoticed: solving

problems with your peers, speaking up when it mattered, or offering kindness when someone needed it most.

These everyday experiences have shaped your character and strengthened your voice. In a world that’s constantly changing, those qualities matter deeply.

As you take your next steps, whether toward work, more learning or something still unfold-

ing, know that you carry with you the values that define a strong and thoughtful community: curiosity, compassion, courage and integrity.

The path ahead won’t always be clear, but you are ready for it. And more importantly, the world needs what you bring. I am proud of you, and excited for what comes next. Warmest congratulations!

GRADUATES NOT PICTURED:

Davina Akre, Gabe Brett, Amelie Butler, Rylan Chard-Collicutt, Angel Cunningham-McRae, Kamryn Dice, Kaelyn Drummond, Earl Fisk, Chase Jacob, Vivianne Leveille, Owen McDougall, Tristan Munro, Enzo Ochea-Durevil, Kai Orpen, Shelby Oshvalda, Elayna Otterbein, Daylynn Romhanyi, Irene Salter, Kassius Smullin, Jesse Van Asseldonk, Kassidy Walsh, Kenzo Zhang

Congrats, class of 2025

Congratulations, Class of 2025

qathet School District is pleased to announce the 2025 Graduates of our Provincial Online Learning School - Partners in Education (PIE). These students have worked hard to complete their education through online learning and we wish them all the very best in their future endeavours.

To the parents, from a student

Graduate Hope Alescio delivered the following message during Grad 2025 celebrations at Powell River Recreation Complex in early June.

I reject the notion that you don’t choose your family.

Many people believe that family is something you’re simply born into—that your parents are your parents because you share the same DNA. But I don’t think DNA is what truly makes a family.

DNA is what led our parents to take us home from the hospital. But love is what made them take us to every extracurricular activity. Legal requirements made sure they provided food for us. But love is what made our moms wake up early

just to make sure we got to school safely.

Yes, the government says you have to send your child to school. But it was love that made our parents teach us never to give up, to always try our best, and to always be true to ourselves.

Our parents didn’t have to do everything they did for us—they chose to love us every single day. They chose to go the extra mile. Duty is doing what’s required. Family is choosing to love, even when it’s hard.

Most of us graduates wouldn’t be here today if our

parents or guardians hadn’t made that choice. And that’s what makes a parent’s love so real. It’s not automatic. It’s intentional.

There were times we gave our parents attitude they didn’t deserve. Times when they could have responded with frustration and no one would have blamed them. But they chose to love us instead. Again, and again.

When others might have given up on us, our parents and guardians stayed. They’ve been by our sides since day one.

Being a parent isn’t just

To the students, from a student

Graduate Francesca Valing spoke directly to her fellow graduates from the stage set up in Hap Parker Arena on June 7.

I would like to begin this speech by saying a brief thank you to everyone who made this day possible. Thank you complex employees, thank you teacher volunteers, thank you fellow students, and the most humongous thank you of all to the parents and friends who have come together today to mark the end of one era of our lives and the beginning of another.

As I look out from behind this big scary podium onto the big scary crowd in front of me, I am struck by the amount of potential I see in each one of you. From the physics nerds who have spent countless

lunch hours wiping blood, sweat and tears off of their assignments, to the trumpeting rock stars of concert band, to the trades kids who all but disappeared in grade 11 to finally get on the tools, each one of you has the immense capacity to succeed and build something great out of your passion.

Our Brooks Secondary School graduating class of 2025 is made up of almost 200 incredibly different individuals. And you don’t have to be graduating this year to remember that dif

Congratulations to Quinn Carlson, Yoshun Kita-Sternberg, Dai Sumiyoshi and Ickay Konishi on your academic achievements

Your families look forward to seeing what you accomplish next. Your future awaits. Enjoy the journey. Ganbatte kudasai!

about biology. It’s about being there. It’s about showing up. It’s about loving someone through their failures, disappointments and mistakes. It’s about cheering for their hobbies, supporting their goals and believing in their dreams.

For some of us, the people we call mom or dad might not even share our DNA. But as I said, being a parent isn’t about genetics. It’s about choosing to love, even when it’s difficult.

So, parents, congratulations. The choices you’ve made up until now have led your kid to graduate. From that day you brought them home from the hospital to the day they will leave your nest, your choice to be a loving parent has empowered this generation to be the kind of people you raised us to be.

ferences are often not the coolest thing in high school.

However, I participated in a class activity earlier this year that gave me a new way of looking at things.

In my Careers 12 class, students were each given a list of important core values to choose from. When we had all picked a few, we further narrowed down which ones were most important to us as a class.

We ended up with six: respect, love, honesty, loyalty, kindness, and discipline. And suddenly, what had seemed like a trivial, tick-the-box assignment before – sorry, Mr. Cocksedge,

Thank you, Mom, Dad, for the countless times you chose to love. Without your sacrifice we would not be where we are today. The next generation has the potential to do incredible things because of your choice to be the kind of parents we needed to succeed.

no one loves Careers – became a unifying force within our class.

People we never would have discussed the weather with before were suddenly sharing with us their thoughts about the importance of honesty in relationships. It was a fascinating shift.

I think activities like this one are just a small demonstration of a larger picture: that we have the most important things in common. And that’s a pretty good start.

Grads of 2025, it has been a beautiful four years with you. I hope that we have built and will continue to build strong connections with each other in the years to come. I truly can’t wait to see what we have to offer the world.

God bless you all and thanks again!

Graduate Lily Carlos made the following speech at a graduation ceremony held earlier this month at Powell River Recreation Complex.

Hello, grads, families and especially staff and teachers.

For my years at Brooks, I’ve taken classes that ranged from chemistry and law to soccer skills and hockey academy. It’s crazy to believe our high school journey is coming to an end after all the early mornings, latenight assignments and the break time hallway debriefs. We made it!

But today I am honoured to be standing in front of you saying thank you teacher, coaches and support staff; thank you for being there for all of it. The hours you’ve seen us at our worst — sleep-deprived, over-caffeinated and during a double block on a Monday morning.

Then there’s our best: when we get a good grade on a test, when we hear that you can get a cheese bun and tomato soup for only $1! And yet, you still showed up every day with a lesson plan, a smile and just enough energy to say, “Phones away, please.”

So, thank you, for not just teaching math, English or science, but for

Lily Carlos

teaching us how to better ourselves, how to act in different situations, how to deal with different people and how to embrace the people we want to become.

On behalf of the student athletes, we all really appreciate the support, the patience and the help every teacher has given through our years at high school. I know it can’t be easy when we come up to you and say “I won’t be here Thursday and Friday, we have a tournament.”

Your flexibility and understanding have meant a lot, and we’re grateful for everything you’ve done to help us balance academics and athletics. Thank you for being such a big part of our first steps into adulthood, shaping us into the people we are becoming and who we want to be.

I also want to thank the support staff who have been there throughout our years. Even though you didn’t stand in the front of the classroom, you still had a huge impact on us.

You would make us laugh when we were in a bad mood, you would walk us through the chemistry question we didn’t quite get, but most of all you had the patience to sit with us and help us when neither of us really understood what was going on.

When we think back on our time at high school we won’t think of the lessons from the textbook, we will think of the fun nicknames you had for us, the stupid jokes you made to try and cheer us up on bad days, or the time and the effort you made to help us throughout these years; you believed in us when we didn’t believe in ourselves.

You didn’t just help us become better students, you helped us become better people, and for that we thank you. Your guidance, your wisdom and your support will carry with us throughout the next steps of our life.

And good luck without us, because let’s be honest, we were your favourites.

ISABELLE

Congratulations GRAD 2025

it is a beautiful day

“Exercise your culture and teachings to carve out a clear vision for all you do.”

Tla’amin hegus and Legislators

BROOKS SECONDARY SCHOOL 2025 AWARDS GRADE 12 SCHOLARSHIPS

HOPE ALESCIO

$1,250 District Authority AwardCommunity Service

$500 Edgehill Elementary - PAC

$500 Pauline Galinski Award

RYAN ANDERSON

$1,000 Kiwanis Club - Maitland Kiwanis Scholarship

ANJY AWOPETU

$1,250 District Authority AwardCommunity Service

$1,0000 Kiwanis Club - Allman Building the Community Scholarship

JACOB BABCOCK

$1,000 CUPE Local 798

$1,250 District Authority Award - Fine Arts

$2,000 Jones Family Foundation (CIBC Investment Advisor - Julian Hoyle)

$500 Powell River Italian Community Club

$350 Powell River Youth Soccer

SUMMER BARCELONNE

$500 Co-operators

$1,000 CUPE476 the EK-12 Support Staff at SD#47

$500 Geoff Clarke Memorial Scholarship

HELEN BARSZCZEWSKI

$1,000 CUPE476 the EK-12 Support Staff at SD#47

$1,250 District Authority AwardPhysical Activity

$1,000 Future Teachers’ Scholarship

$1,000 The Braxton Leask & Dylan Buckle Memorial Award

EVAN BEHAN

$350 Powell River Youth Soccer

$3,000 Russell & Ruth Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Fund (Administered by Powell River Community Foundation)

BENCE BOLYOS-LOFFREE

$1,000 Dr. Allan Duncan Pritchard Legacy Bursary

PAIGE BREWSTER

$500 Timberlane Quilters Guild

DORIAN BUREC

$300 Texada Elementary School - PAC

MADISON BURKE

$500 Knights of Columbus 5417

LILY CARLOS

$1,250 District Authority AwardCommunity Service

$1,000 Len Evans Memorial

$2,000 Powell River Sunshine Coast Real Estate

$1,000 The Braxton Leask & Dylan Buckle Memorial Award

$1,000 Toni Marciniak Memorial Scholarship

QUINN CARLSON

$1,250 District Authority AwardCommunity Service

$1,000 Rotary Club of Powell River

MISIA CHOO

$750 Optomeyes Eye Care Scholarship

ROWAN COCKSEDGE

$24,000 Powell River Head Start Scholarship (renewable for 4 years ($6,000)

NOAH CULOS

$1,250 District Authority AwardPhysical Activity

$500 Helmut Franke Memorial Scholarship

$500 Underwriters Insurance Agencies Ltd.

MIA CURTIS

$3,000 Russell & Ruth Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Fund (Administered by Powell River Community Foundation)

TYRELL DUHAMEL

$2,000 Jane Cameron Memorial Scholarship

$1,000 Parish of St. David & St. Paul

$500 Timberlane Quilters Guild

$500 Tla’amin - General Post Secondary Award

$500 Tla’amin - Health Care Field Award

$500 Tla’amin - Leadership/ Citizenship Award

$500 Tla’amin - Math/Science Award

SAFIYAH DYCK

$1,000 Brooks Thunderbird

$1,250 District Authority AwardCommunity Service

$500 Outdoor Education & Sustainability Environmental Leadership Award

$1,500 qathet Teachers Association

$1,000 Toba Montrose General Partnership/ Innergex Renewable Energy

SIENNA FOLEY

$500 The late Jackie S. Timothy Memorial Scholarship

JAGGER FORREST

$500 Co-operators

$500 David Court Memorial Scholarship

$1,250 District Authority AwardPhysical Activity

$750 HEU PRGH Local

$1000 Kiwanis Club - Gena KendrickCitizen Award (Two instalments)

LILY GAUDREAU

$1,250 District Authority AwardCommunity Service

$500 Ecole Cote du Soleil

SHEILA GODSON

$8,000 George Pensom Bursary (Vancouver Foundation)

$1,000 Rotary Club of Powell River

ETHAN HULL

$1,250 District Authority AwardLanguages

$1,000 Kiwanis Club - Irving Scholarship

$1,000 qathet Administrators’ Association

$1,000 Rotary Club of Powell River

$1,000 Toba Montrose General Partnership/ Innergex Renewable Energy

BROOKLYN KLASSEN

$1,250 District Authority AwardTechnical & Trades

$400 Gordon “Beaver” Crawford Memorial Scholarship

$3,000 Russell & Ruth Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Fund (Administered by Powell River Community Foundation)

BRYNLEA LAMDEN

$1,250 District Authority AwardApplied Skills

JOSIAH LYE

$3,000 Russell & Ruth Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Fund (Administered by Powell River Community Foundation

MARY LOUISE MATHIEU

$500 Grandma Bird - James Thomson Scholarship

$250 qathet Living Magazine

$1,000 Al Alsgard Bursary - the Peak

$500 Timberlane Quilters Guild

SYDNEY MILLER

$750 HEU PRGH Local

$1,500 Powell River Spring Garden Tour

$350 Powell River Youth Soccer

MIRINDE MORWOOD

$2,000 Alfred J. & Arlene Carsten Scholarship for Excellence in Science or The Arts

$1,000 CUPE Local 798

$1,250 District Authority AwardCommunity Service

JEREMY PUKESH

$1,250 District Authority AwardPhysical Activity

DIVYAM PURI

$500 Arnold Carlson Business Award

$350 Powell River Youth Soccer

$500 The Verecan Capital Management Scholarship

RAKHI RANA

$1,250 District Authority AwardCommunity Service

$500 Henderson Elementary School PAC

$750 Pasion Family Scholarship

$1,000 Rotary Club of Powell River

$3,000 Russell & Ruth Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Fund (Administered by Powell River Community Foundation

$1,000 Switzer & Finkel (Endowed Scholarship Fund)

JAMES REED

$1,250 District Authority AwardCommunity Service

$1,000 Mosaic Forest Management

$1,500 Powell River Spring Garden Tour

$500 qathet Regional District Cycling Association

$500 Terra Nostra Farm

DANTE REGHELIN

$350 Powell River Youth Soccer

SOLOMON REGHELIN

$350 Powell River Youth Soccer

JACOB REIMER

$1,000 CUPE476 the EK-12 Support Staff at SD#47

$1,250 District Authority AwardTechnical & Trades

$1,000 Robert Scholtens Memorial Scholarship

$3,000 Russell & Ruth Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Fund (Administered by Powell River Community Foundation)

$500 Jesse Dean Blaikie Nadalini Memorial Award

PANAGIOTA ROUNIS

$1,000 CUPE476 the EK-12 Support Staff at SD#47

$1,250 District Authority AwardLanguages

$1,000 Powell River Farmers’ Agricultural Institute

$1,000 qathet Administrators’ Association

$500 Vince Hoet Scholarship

RAY SCHULTZ

$500 qathet Tourism Society

ADDY SHIPLEY

$1,250 District Authority AwardPhysical Activity

$350 Powell River Youth Soccer

$1,000 qathet Administrators’ Association

ABBY SHOREMAN

$1,000 Tony Simmonds Memorial Scholarship

ELI SHOSTAK

$1,250 District Authority AwardPhysical Activity

$1,000 Kelly Creek Community School

$500 qathet Regional District Cycling Association

DANE SLACK

$350 Powell River Youth Soccer

$1,000 Switzer & Finkel

$500 Westview Elementary PAC

LIZZIE SMITH

$300 Pythian Sisters

ELTON SUTHERLAND

$2,000 Alfred J. & Arlene Carsten Scholarship

$1,250 District Authority Award - Fine Arts

$1000 Kiwanis Club - Community Scholarship (Two instalments)

$250 Carlson Community Club

$500 Westview Elementary PAC

JADA TAYLOR

$500 ʔaqaymɩxʷ

$2,000 Elizabeth & John Carlson Scholarship

$1,000 Parish of St. David & St. Paul

$350.00 Powell River Youth Soccer

FRANCESCA VALING

$500 Catholic Womens League of Canada

$1,250 District Authority Award - Fine Arts

$1,000 James Whent Memorial Scholarship

$1,000 Judy Spreeuw Memorial Scholarship

$500 Knights of Columbus 5417

$250 Carlson Community Club

HAYLEY VIZZUTTI

$500 David Court Memorial Scholarship

$750 Pasion Family Scholarship

$500 Underwriters Insurance Agencies Ltd.

ELLIE WINCHELL

$1,250 District Authority AwardCommunity Service

$500 Malaspina Naturalist Club

$500 Ron Diprose Memorial Scholarship

$3,000 Russell & Ruth Jenkins Memorial Scholarship Fund (Administered by Powell River Community Foundation)

$500 Terra Nostra Farm

$500 Herb Marion Award

REED WORTHEN

$1,500 Brooks Humanities & Social Sciences Merit

$1,250 District Authority Award - Fine Arts

$500 Powell River Chorus Scholarship

$1,000 Powell River Garden Club

$500 Terra Nostra Farm

$1,000 Toba Montrose General Partnership/ Innergex Renewable Energy

$500 Max Cameron Award