There are 26 Landmark Collegiate (LC) graduates set to walk across the stage on June 25, marking the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
Among them is Nick Johnston, this year’s class valedictorian.
He says it’s an honour to have been chosen by his peers to speak on their behalf as they celebrate a major milestone filled with friendship and memories.
"In grade four...we had set up two people, one of my friends and one of the girls, and they were getting married on the hill," he reminisces. "I don't know why, but that was like the most hilarious thing back then, and if you ask anybody in my class, they'll remember that."
What began as a pretend wedding in elementary school turned into bonfires and pool parties in later years—simple but cherished memories that Johnston hopes to remind his classmates to hold onto.
"The past several years have had their highs, and definitely their lows, but everyone's worked together," he says. "Our class has been something special. We've all got grit, we're talented, we are problem solvers. I would encourage everybody in the grade to use that, and to continue to do the absolute best they can."
Landmark Collegiate principal Ed Neufeld shares in the admiration for this year’s grads.
"This class is optimistic. They're looking forward with a positive view," he says. "They believe in one another, and they believe in themselves in a pretty big way. They're a very, very cool group."
Neufeld encourages them to chase their dreams as they step away from high school.
"They are already well on the way to being people who are going to make positive contributions to society, and I am looking forward to watching them and hearing about them in five, 10 years down the road," he says.
As for Johnston, he plans to study biomedical engineering at the University of Manitoba, with hopes of one day designing artificial organs.
Landmark's graduation ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. on June 25 at Prairie Rose Evangelical Mennonite Church.