Pembina Trails Collegiate marks historic moment with 1st grad class
Southwest Winnipeg school opened in 2023 with Grade 9-11 students
A Winnipeg high school is making history this month, as it celebrates its first group of grade 12 graduates.
Pembina Trails Collegiate welcomed its first students in the 2023-24 school year, to help meet the need in the southwest Waverley West neighbourhood — one of the city's fastest-growing areas.
In its first year, the secondary school hosted Grade 9-11 students. It saw its first Grade 12 class with the current 2024-25 school year. The school celebrated its grads with a parade on Friday, which also included kindergarten graduates from nearby Bison Run School, and the Pembina Trails grads will have their convocation on Tuesday.
Being part of the school's first group of graduates is "just as nervous as it is exciting," said Grade 12 student Krishna Patel, who transferred to Pembina Trails from Fort Richmond Collegiate.
She's one of the founding members of the school's student council, which formed in February 2023, before the school opened.
In her short time as a student at Pembina Trails Collegiate, she also started a school blood drive club and a broadcast club. After graduation, she'll be going to the University of Toronto.
"[The] most memorable thing of attending school here is creating and founding all of these things, and starting from scratch," said Patel.
Principal Jacqui Kroeker said she takes pride in the school's student-led approach to learning and engagement.
Since this year's graduating students transferred from many different schools, Kroeker said it was important to focus on "working together, building trust and relationships from scratch, and really working on building a strong [school] culture."
She describes the first group to graduate from Pembina Trails Collegiate as collaborators, critical thinkers and great communicators.
"We have a very strong leadership team, called our student advisory council, and they have been innovators," said Kroeker.
Sabrina Longobardi, a guidance counsellor at Pembina Trails Collegiate, works closely with students across all grade levels. This year, she was busy helping Grade 12 students prepare for life after high school, including completing post-secondary applications, and offering resources to support their learning to help ensure that they graduate.
This school year, Longobardi also worked with the student council as it planned the school's first graduation. Students took the lead, she said, picking out the gowns, tassels and the decor for all the events.
"We were setting precedents, and that became a bit of a stressful part of planning" says Longobardi.
Tanya Chopra, the valedictorian for this year's graduating class, also said she's both scared and excited about graduating. She also said she's proud of her contributions to the school's culture, including founding the school's Key Club chapter, part of the international community service club.
Chopra said the club's most successful event was hosting a dance for seniors who live in a nearby retirement home where she already volunteers.
Pembina Trails Collegiate nurtured her passion for volunteering, Chopra said, and encouraged others to do the same.
Asked about her plans after high school, Chopra was candid.
"To be honest, I don't have a solid plan yet," she said. She'll go to the University of Manitoba next year, where she'll major in chemistry, but said she also has a passion for social work.
"I have lots of things that I really like doing," she said. "It's hard to kind of choose one."
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