As Royal Bay Secondary School prepares to celebrate its graduation class on June 7, four students chosen to represent the Class of 2026 say high school was about more than grades.
Co-valedictorians Jack Loveless and Arielle Chan, alongside Indigenous co-valedictorians Ava Karlsson and Alana Jay, will deliver speeches reflecting on growth, identity and the friendships formed during their years at the Colwood school.
For Loveless, being named valedictorian came after a competitive application and voting process that included essays, grade requirements and student-selected finalists.
“We had to submit an essay detailing why we thought we should be valedictorians,” said Loveless. “Then students voted on who they wanted to represent them.”
Loveless, who plans to attend the University of Waterloo for mechanical engineering, said he hopes to eventually work in aerospace engineering. “I want to get into an aerospace company and build planes or rockets,” he said.
He said his passion for space exploration began when he was younger, and he realized that he wanted to pursue work that could have a lasting impact on the world.
Chan, who plans to attend the University of British Columbia to study science, said graduation feels both exciting and emotional. “I’m feeling a little bit of pre-emptive sadness about everything being over,” she said. “But it’s not the end of a chapter, it’s a new beginning.”
The students said Grade 12 brought more freedom than previous years, with lighter course loads, flexible schedules and more opportunities to focus on personal interests.
Karlsson spent much of her final year immersed in art and theatre classes after completing most of her academic requirements earlier in high school. “I got lots of time to relax, spend time with my friends and explore a lot of my passions,” she said.
One of Karlsson’s highlighted movements came during this year’s school musical, where she incorporated Indigenous beadwork into her costume with the support of a teacher. “It was a really special way for me to incorporate the cultural aspect of my identity and share it with the school,” she said.
Jay, who plans to attend Camosun College in 2027 before entering a plumbing apprenticeship, hopes to eventually take over her family’s business, Little BlueJay Contracting Co. LTD. “My goal is to become a Red Seal plumber and be a third-generation owner-operator,” she said.
The Indigenous valedictorians were selected through a separate application process focused on cultural involvement, leadership and community connections. Both students said they were honoured to represent their communities.
“It’s a very special feeling to be in that spot,” Karlsson said. “Everybody who applied brought a different perspective.”
The pair will first deliver their speech during an Indigenous graduation ceremony on May 25 before speaking again at the school-wide convocation ceremony.
Jay said combining their different cultural backgrounds into one speech has been meaningful.
“Getting to sit down and combine our two different cultures into one speech and share our cultures with the rest of the grad class is amazing,” she said.
Karlsson added that language revitalization is also an important part of their message.
“It’s a language that you don’t often hear,” she said. “It’s so important to revitalize language and culture and hear these things.”
While the students admitted they are nervous about speaking in front of large crowds, they said months of preparation and collaboration have helped build confidence.
“It’s a bit intimidating to feel like you have to represent everyone in the grad class,” Chan said. “I just hope we can make a speech that speaks to most of us in a positive light.”
The four students agreed that their biggest takeaway from high school was not academics, but personal growth and the relationships they built along the way.
“You kind of find who you are during high school,” Karlsson said.
“You’re this awkward middle schooler, and then suddenly you’re graduating and becoming a young adult.”
Loveless echoed that sentiment, saying high school helped him become more outgoing and confident.
“In middle school and elementary school, I was a pretty quiet kid,” he said. “In the last two years, I feel like I’ve opened up a lot more.”
This year’s graduating class will also mark Royal Bay Secondary’s 10th anniversary, something the valedictorians said makes the occasion even more memorable.
“It’s a very nice school,” Chan said. “I feel very fortunate to have gone here.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source goldstreamgazette.com ’
