The Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School celebrated the Class of 2026, Saturday at Credit Union Place.
This year saw 143 graduates walk across the stage to receive their diplomas.
Following the processional, greetings were brought by Mountain View School Division assistant superintendant Gord Wood, MVSD trustee Jarri Thompson and DRCSS principal Taylor Schmidt.
Then came the convocation and presentation of awards followed by the Valedictorian address by Jacobi van Luijn-Michaluk.
Here is her speech:
Hello everyone, my name is Jacobi and I am honored to have been voted valedictorian for the Class of 2026.
This role has made me reflect on all the memories and accomplishments we’ve had over the years. These are some of the most important times in our lives.
It has also forced me to think about one of the scariest things and that’s the unknown ahead of us. I’m sure this fear has crossed everyone’s mind, especially us graduates.
For so long, we sort of knew what was ahead. We knew that the next year we would return to school, see the same teachers and friends that we have seen every day for years, to then go home and continue that cycle, but it won’t be like that anymore and it’s been so hard to admit that. We are breaking years worth of habits and routines and that’s an extremely difficult thing to do.
This change can really take a toll on kids. So many people have told me that it sort of feels like we are suddenly leaving behind our whole life. It’s as if we are popping this safe little bubble we have built around each other.
I made sure this year to really take my time to process it all and cherish every second I spend with my friends, teachers and family. We should all be thankful for the people that surround and comfort us during this time in our lives. Every single person here today wants the absolute best for us and it’s important that we keep that love close to us.
As scary as this new chapter may seem, there is some excitement to it. We are all going to have this new level of independence and a new sense of individuality. We are going to discover so many new and exciting things about ourselves we have no idea about. In order to grow as people, we must branch out and face our challenges head on. But that growth can be intimidating.
It feels like we are ready to grow up until it’s actually happening. Growing up feels like it should just be all fun and exciting, but it feels so hard and confusing, too. I know it’s normal for us to feel like this, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult. It may not seem like it right now, but it’s important for us to grow up. Even as we get older, we will still have parts of our childhood with us, along with all the memories we have made. So many memories and crucial parts of my life have happened in high school, and I’m going to cherish that for the rest of my life.
We are so lucky to experience this together and to be there for one another.
Along with all these good things that we will carry with us, it isn’t like that all the time. So many teens struggle with mental health and I want to take this opportunity to spread awareness about it.
They say one in four youth have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Suicide remains the second leading cause of death in Canada for youth between the ages of 15 to 19. LGBTQIA+ youth are five times more likely to attempt suicide and Indigenous youth are five to seven times more likely.
Let that information sit with you for a moment. Think about that next time you decide to judge someone based on their looks or because they are a bit different than others. We are all human and we only have one life. Everyone should be able to live that life with some happiness in it. We all have our things we are insecure about, maybe we think too much about what others think of us. I hope that whatever you are dealing with, you persevere and go to the people that are willing to help you when you need it. Everyone has someone who cares about them. If you don’t think so, check again because I guarantee they are there.
I am so proud of all the graduates for getting through the highs and lows of high school. We may complain about our assignments or skip class because we don’t feel like doing work, but there is at least a part of us that is going to miss all this. During our time in school, we have learned to become our own person, to take care of ourselves and others and to trust that there is always someone who is willing to help us.
I want to take a moment to thank all the teachers at the DRCSS for teaching us these things and for always being there for your students. I want to highlight a few teachers that have impacted me, and many other students.
Mrs. Coombs, thank you for bringing light to your classroom and our lives and for believing in students even if they have given up on themselves.
Mr. Cote, you bring laughter, joy and comfort to any room you walk into. Thank you for creating such a safe space for me and many other people.
Lastly, I’d like to thank two teachers that have made the biggest impact on me, Mrs. Michaluk and Mrs. Krisjanson. You may not work in a classroom, but the work you do is just as important. You help kids reach the finish line and get through anything they may be going through.
Mrs. Krisjanson, you are so patient with kids and supporting them academically. Mrs. Michaluk, you always go above and beyond with kids who need you. These teachers I have named are true heroes in so many people’s lives and I’d be lucky to become half the person that they are. Teachers truly save lives and the work they do is so crucial in our world. Thank you to all the teachers for guiding us through life and helping us ease into young adulthood.
I’m so curious to see the people we are all growing to be. It’s hard to say goodbye to this chapter and all the stories in it, but it’s time to write the next one. Maybe it will be even better than last. Whatever is in store for all of you, I hope you achieve great things and have the life you deserve to live.
Before I’m done talking, I want to read one of my favorite poems called “Wild Geese” written by Mary Oliver.
“You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
The mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
The world offers itself to your imagination,
Calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
Over and over announcing your place
In the family of things.”
Thank you class of 2026, we deserve to celebrate all we have accomplished.
Following her speech came the turning of the tassel and the recessional.