vol9issue25_grad

June 22, 2012 DTSS ~ Class of 2012 • 1

kscu.com

You make your community proud. As you follow your soaring dreams, let Kootenay Savings make life on the ground easier with our unique financial solutions for students. Wherever you’re studying, we’re with you all the way.

Hats off to all our 2012 grads!

everyday banking loans & lines of credit student mastercard term deposits online & mobile banking TFSAs

better. together.

The Columbia Valley Pioneer Presents...

Starting this week, David Thompson Secondary School’s graduating class of 2012 is celebrating 13 years of hard work, friendship, and memories. Turn the page for a look at all the grads, a trip back to elementary school for four students, and a graduating triple-threat.

The Class of 2012

Photo by Kristian Rasmussen

June 22, 20122 • DTSS ~ Class of 2012

Anderson, Caoimhe

Bond, Morgan

Arif, Elizabeth Baertschi, Kimberly

D o not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2012!

CONGRATULATIONS CONGRATULATIONS

D o not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

914 – 8th Avenue, PO Box 339, Invermere, BC V0A 1K0

Ph: 250-342-9281 • Fax: 250-342-2934 E-mail: [email protected]@cvchamber.com

Congratulations to Olivia Rad and all

the 2012 grads.

Invest in the Future!Congratulations 2012 Grads!

Invermere Branch • 250-342-9237 www.cotr.bc.ca

College of the RoCkies - Invermere Campus

Congratulations2012 Grads!

www.cotr.bc.ca

MAY THE FUTURE HOLD ALL OF YOUR DREAMS

GRADS OF 20127th Avenue, Invermere • 250-342-9268

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2012.

www.bighornmeadows.ca Invermere • 250-341-3206

Canwest Propane would like to congratulate all the Invermere grads of 2012.

Athalmer Hwy. 250-342-6816

Congratulations to the Class of 2012.

BAVIN GLASSWORKS & BAVIN GLASS CABIN

CONGRATULATIONSto the class of

2012Barb J. Smith, CGA1022A 7th Ave Invermere, BC

250-342-8304 - [email protected]

Congratulations to the class of 2012

From the Akisqnuk First Nation

AnglzHAIR & TANNING STUDIO 3rd Avenue, Invermere • 250-342-3227

CongratulationsClass of 2012!

CongratulationsCongratulationsCongratulationsCongratulationsCongratulationsCongratulations to our Grads! Jesse and Thomas

Banville, Jacob Becker, Hayden

Belcher, JadeBeggs, Blake Benson, Caitlynn Bialkoski, Morgan


Campbell, Kelsey Carlow, Benjamin Charbonneau, Benoit Cranch, Baxter

Doucette, Jesse

Clare, Thomas

926 - 7th Avenue, Invermere • 250-342-4406

Congratulations to the grads of 2012!

Main Street, Invermere

250-342-0402

Congratulations to the class of 2012!

Congratulations to Kate and Holly and the

class of 2012.

GODLIENSMALL ENGINE

INVERMERE • 250-341-6887

Would like to wish all the grads the best in the future

From everyone at

Fire’D UPBreakfast & Burgersin Radium Hot Springs

Congratulations to all the Grads of 2012!

Flooring

Invermere 250-342-6649

Congratulations DJ Cake B.and all the grads of 2012.

350 Laurier, Invermere • 250-342-9933

CongratulationsTyler “Bellies” Gulbe, Martina “Barbados” Shovar, Morgan ‘Z” Bialkoski,

Cody Horning, Masha Salimovskaya and Travis “T-Bones” Nyrose. Good luck in the future from Michael, Amy Lee, Chrispy.

Caoimhe AndersonMorgan BondBaxter CranchJordan DowneyAmanda El Wakeel

Gracy JonesMichael SantiniBreanna SassBayley Vander Maaten

Fairmont Hot Springs Resort congratulates the Class of 2012 and celebrates the achievements of our graduating student employees:

Jason Elford, CFP • 250-342-5052

Live in the Moment, Plan for the Future

Invermere, BC V0A 1KOPh: 250-342-8604 Fax: 250-342-0492 Toll Free: 1-800-342-8604

Congratulations TO THE GRADUATES OF 2012

Downey, Jordan Durning, Jessica Ellingboe, Sawyer Elliott, Mitchell


Feldmann, Stephanie Glassford, Holly Godlien, Kate

Grocutt, Kyra

Invermere Industrial Park 250-342-8331

Best wishes to Jordan Downey, Kelsey Shaver-Reichenauer

and the grads of 2012!7th Ave. Invermere • 250-342-6415

Congratulations to the Grad Class of 2012, we wish you the best!

Box 206, Radium, BC, V0A 1M0 • 250-347-9988

Congratulations to Sawyer Ellingboe and all the rest of the 2012 grads.

Radium Supermart Congratulations to 2012 DTSS

Graduate

Max RegitnigWe are sorry you’re leaving us behind!Love, your family.

Congratulations to Emily and her classmates.

MaxWell Realty InvermereGlenn Pomeroy

926-7th Avenue, Invermere, B.C.

CONGRATULATIONS 2012 GRADS !

I NVERMERE250-342-8877

L I V E W E L L W I T H

Invermere • 250-342-9692

Congratulations Grads of 2012

From Jason, Tanya and all the sta� at

Invermere • 250-342-9692

From Jason, Tanya and all the sta� at

Congratulations!

250 342 2999palliserprinting.com

Congratulations Class of 2012. We are particularly proud of you

Mary, Henry & Lily.1301 - 7th Avenue, Invermere

250-342-6612

LAMBERT-KIPPPHARMACY LTD.

Best wishes to the class of 2012

Gulbe, Tyler Hall, Desmond Halwa, Julia Hart-McAllister, Raven

Elwakeel, Amanda Feissel, Nathan

Invermere Dry Cleaners Ltd.

Dry Cleaning • Laundry • AlterationsRepair • Bachelor Service

507A - 7th Ave., Invermere • 250-342-6610

Invermere Dry CleanersInvermere Dry CleanersInvermere Dry CleanersInvermere Dry Cleaners

All the B� t to the Grads � 2012

All the B� t to the Grads � 2012

Congratulations to the class of 2012!

Invermere Bottle Depot & Recycle Centre

Industrial Rd. #2, Invermere • 250-342-7272


Hembling, Tristen Hemmelgarn, Christopher Hemmelgarn, Tannis Hendry, Morgan Hillary, Erin

Valley Hair Styling1313 7th Ave., Invermere, BC • 250-342-6355

Valley Valley V HairHairH Styling Styling S1313 7th Ave., Invermere, BC • 250-342-6355

Valley Hair Styling1313 7th Ave., Invermere, BC • 250-342-6355

Congratulations toall the grads of 2012

906 - 7th Ave., Invermere 250-342-3330

CVCC Award Winner: 2000-2003, 2005-2012CVCC Award Winner: 2000-2003, 2005-2012

Live your dreams, class of 2012!

13th Street, Invermere 250-342-6978

CongratulationsGrads of 2012!

[p] 250.342.7559 [f] 250.342.7558 [e] [email protected]

Congratulations to the class of 2012. Your future is

blooming ahead of you.

Congratulations to Tristen Hembling-Harvey

From the management and staff at…

Hwy 93/95 and the Crossroads • InvermereHwy 93/95 and the Crossroads • Invermere

Best wishes to the grads

of 2012.Congratulations to

all the Grads of 2012! Tony’s Greek Grill

In Fairmont

Tony’s Greek Grill

In Fairmont

Hollick, Cody

250-345-6233 • www.fairmontpizza.ca

As you go out into the world, look out for #1 and don’t step in #2! Congrats to all grads!

INDERMEREALLEYWVGolf Course

Tee Times (250) 342-3004

Congratulations to Kate and Holly and the grads of 2012.

Congratulations to Emily and all her graduating friends.

MaxWell Realty InvermereDaniel Zurgilgen926-7th Avenue, Invermere, B.C.141 Industrial Rd. 2 • 250-342-9424

Congratulations to the class of 2012. All the best in your future endeavours.

250-688-HAWK www.valleyhawk.com

Have a fun and safe Grad!

Horning, CooperHorning, Cody Hul, Dominic Ivers, Daniel


From the p layg rou ndto po l ished g raduates

We sat down with a student from each of the valley’s elementary schools as they prepare to � y the nest after graduating high school. � ey reminisced

over their time at David � ompson Secondary School, and shared their plans for the future.

Breton Trask (page 11)

J.A. Laird ElementaryBreton, the son of Byron and Adele Trask, grew up in the valley and

passed through Laird Elementary School on his way to David � ompson Secondary. After graduating, Breton plans to continue his education at the University of Alberta studying for a Bachelor of Science honours degree.

“I have my path pretty well set for me,” Breton said. “I am really excited to follow through with that now.”

Breton is hoping to go into dentistry, but his pathway wasn’t always so clearly laid out. While playing hockey in Calgary as a goalie, Breton was injured and used his time o� the ice to dive into science studies.

After learning more about biology and how the human body functions he chose to pursue a career in the sciences.

Breton said he’s most looking forward to getting out and making new friends on campus at U of A. “It is going to be awesome,” he said. “I am going to meet tons of new people.”

� ough he’s excited to head out of the valley, Breton will never forget the times he enjoyed during his school years.

“ My favourite high school memory is manhunt,” he said. “Me and a few other students organized a manhunt game, which covered the area from Tim Hortons to CastleRock. � ere were about 140 of us driving around in the middle of the night with giant � ashlights trying to catch each other.”

Kelsey Shaver-Reichenauer (page 11)

Martin Morigeau ElementaryKelsey grew up in Columere and went to Martin Morigeau Elementary

in Canal Flats. She is the daughter of Susan Shaver and Brian Dovauo. � e valley local has prescribed the perfect mixture for her future, head-

ing to Ontario to study as a pharmacy technician.“I decided to take the pharmacy technician program because I am really

interested in the science aspect of the job and helping people,” said Kelsey, who will attend Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. “I am glad to be done high school and going onto something bigger.”

Although she is excited about her new adventures, Kelsey said she will miss the friends that she has made and the enjoyable experiences while at David � ompson Secondary.

“I would say that my maturity level has increased and I became a lot closer with everybody coming in from di� erent schools,” she said.

One of her most cherished memories of high school was a very special class trip last year, she added.

“I like the trips that we have taken, especially when we went to Calgary for Cirque Du Soleil last year,” she said. “� e performance was amazing.”

Kelsey is excited to leave for college and hopes to broaden her horizons even more in the future by travelling around Europe.

“I really want to get out and see the world outside Invermere.”

Stefen Seel (page 11)

Edgewater ElementaryStefen, son of Rod Seel and Birgit Koster, has spent his entire life in the

valley and already has a goal in mind for his post-secondary plans. “I will be playing hockey and hopefully getting a scholarship in the

U.S.,” he said. “ It feels great to be graduating — it is such a relief.” Stefen plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree at a U.S. university

and is happy to go where the opportunity takes him if o� ered a scholarship. At high school Stefen chose to pursue a course load � lled with chemis-

try and physics, which he said was “extremely interesting.” Graduation and a new future ahead is an exciting prospect for the

Grade 12 student, but he will never forget his time at high school and the teachers that helped shape his experience, he said.

“My fondest memory of high school is probably listening to Mr. Kopp tell some pretty funny stories about hunting with Mr. Sage,” he said.

When asked how he has changed from Grade 8 to graduation, the 6’4” hockey player pointed to an obvious altitude adjustment.

“I have de� nitely got a lot taller,” he joked.All kidding aside, the valley native has learned some life lessons while at

David � ompson that he thinks will help him in the future. “I think you get a lot more mature from Grade 8 to Grade 12 and you

begin to realize your responsibilities in life.”

Breanna Sass (page 10)

Windermere ElementaryBreanna grew up in Fairmont Hot Springs and wants to pursue a career

in the sciences at the University of Calgary next fall. “I got the idea to go into the sciences because I really like helping peo-

ple,” she said. “My dad [David Sass] has spinal disease and I really want to help out other people who are su� ering from it.”

� e end of high school is exhilarating for Breanna, but also a little nerve-wracking, she confessed.

“I am really proud of myself and what I have accomplished, but the uncertainty of everything in the future makes me worry.”

� e grad has fond memories of her time at David � ompson Secondary School, including a tenacious Tim Hortons co� ee regime.

“I would say that the race for Roll Up � e Rim was my fondest high school story,” she said. “It was intense. We bought so many co� ees and so many teas, but we didn’t even come close to winning.”

Breanna has been an avid athlete throughout high school, playing vol-leyball, soccer and basketball. An enjoyable high school experience helped to shape the person Breanna is today, she said.

“I have de� nitely matured. I have grown up as a person and my person-ality has changed,” she said. “It is still me though!”

Breanna’s parents are David Sass and Margie Serediuk.


TRIPLE THREAT� e Smith triplets — Mary, Lily, and Henry — have journeyed through

school together. Now they prepare to take to the stage at graduation as a trio.

THREE’S COMPANY — Triplets Mary (left), Henry (middle), and Lily (right) will have three times the fun this graduation.

By Kristian RasmussenPioneer Sta�

Sometimes the best things come in threes. Henry, Mary and Lily Smith are valley triplets set to graduate this year, who said the experience of travelling through the school system as a triple threat is something they wouldn’t give up for the world.

“We are in a lot of the same classes, like calculus and the sciences, so we help each other out with homework,” Mary said. “If one person doesn’t get the problem it is really nice because we already have someone there to answer our questions and help us out. It probably helps us get better marks.”

Outside of homework assignments, being a triplet also comes with its own social network.

“We have a big group of friends, but if you’re bored you can always hang out with each other I guess,” Henry joked.

� e bene� ts of being a Smith triplet also included sharing experiences together.

“We are in all the same classes and we are graduating the same year,” Lily said. “It is nice to have more than just one person go through it all.”

Although graduation is an exhila-

rating time for the Smiths, good-byes looming over the horizon. After spending elementary and high school together, the three teens will head in di� erent direc-tions to pursue their futures.

Mary will say goodbye to her mom, Louise Helmer, and siblings and head to Montreal to study for a Bachelor of Science at McGill University. She hopes to go to medical school and her ultimate goal is to work for Doctors Without Borders, a humanitarian organization that provides medical care in foreign coun-tries to victims of war and disaster.

“Since elementary, I decided that I wanted to be a doctor because I really like all the aspects of the medical world,” she said. “When I got into high school sciences I found that I was actually really interested in the � eld.”

Henry is putting his experience working for the family company, Max Helmer Construction, to use when he at-tends Lethbridge College to gain a diploma in civil engineering. He then plans to transfer to the Univer- sity of Brit-ish Columbia to gain a Bachelor of Civil Engineering.

“I would like to get that practical experience so that I can

come back and work in a small town,” he said. Lily has big plans for her future at Queen’s Univer-

sity in Kingston, Ontario, where she will be working to-wards a Bachelor of Science.

“I � nd life sciences and the human body really in-teresting,” she said. “I am excited to move to a new town and go to university. I want to gain more knowledge about the world and about my program.”

But despite bright futures ahead of them, the triplets agree they will never forget their time at Eileen Madson Primary School, Laird Elementary and of course David � ompson Secondary School.

“It is going to be kind of a sad time because we don’t have all the support that we used to have, like our fami-lies, friends, and teachers,” Mary said. “Now we have to step out of the box and experience some-thing new.

Photos by Kristian Rasmussen


Jensen, Caitlin Jensen, Dominique Jones, Benjamin Jones, Gracy

Juras, Angelica Kazako� , Caleb Kelly, Scott Kendall, Dana

Jenkins, Aaron

centrevalleyfitnessvalleyfitnessvalley centre

VFCshapeshape invermereshapeupinvermere.com

Congratulations grads, your future is about to shape up!

Independently Owned and Operated410 Borden St., Athalmer

Ph 250-342-6226

Congratulations to the class of 2012.

[email protected] • Cell: 250-342-5851

Warbrick Towing & Salvage

Best wishes to the grads

of 2012.

Radium Hot Springs, Golden and Cranbrook

www.PrestigeHotelsAndResorts.com

All the best to the class

of 2012

Congratulations to Caitlynn Benson and the class of 2012.

HWY 93/95 south of Fairmont Hot Springs250-342-2166 • thehoodoo.com

PO Box 159, Canal Flats, B.C. V0B 1B0 Phone: 250-349-5462 Fax: 250-349-5460

[email protected]

All the best to the class of 2012

Congratulatons to Alisha Trozzo and the class of 2012.

H w y 9 3 / 9 5 , I n v e r m e r e B . C .

CON“GRAD”ULATIONS! RT and the class of 2012

Rockies West RealtyIndepently Owned and Operated

Congratulations to Blake Beggs, Zack Opheim, Ellen Wilker, Breton Trask

and the grads of 2012.18 Hole Championship Course

Copperpointgolf.com 1-877-418-4653

250-341-3392

Kurtz, Benjamin

N EW S PA P E R

Still want to congratulate your grad?Contact Dean Midyette to place

your congratulatory advertisement.

www.columbiavalleypioneer.com • Email: [email protected]

8, 1008 8th Ave.Invermere, B.C.

Ph: (250) 341-6299 Fax: (250) 341-6229


Lochhead, Sarah Logan, Hayden MacLean, Sean

Mitchell, MicahMatheson, Je� ery

Nelson, Riley

McDonald, Haley

Nicholas, Aaron

McNeil, Ryan

Nikirk, Holly

Milligan, Anya

Nyrose, Travis

Lang, McKenna-Margaret Langridge, Travis Larrabee, Amber Lightfoot, Blayr Lindsay, Savannah

Little, Courtney Livingston, Jared

Ollenberger, Felicia


Regitnig, Max Reiss, Joshua

Reiter, Adam

Salimovskaya, Maria

Rice, Robert-Tye

Sam, Brandon

Ritsch, Jesse

Sanchez, Mike

Ross, Hailey

Santini, Michael

Sage, Brendan

Sass, Breanna

Opheim, Zackary Pal, Mackenzie Pietrosky, Levi Pilote, Chelsea

Purdy, Ryley Puskaric, Shanice Rad, Olivia

Peck, Bradley


Seel, Stefen Shaver-Reichenauer, Kelsey Shovar, Martina

Smedstad, Hannah Smith, Henry

Thompson, Ciona

Trudel, Marie-Eve

Thomson, Matthew

Vander Maaten, Bayley

Tomalty, Jesse

Verwey, Kayla

Smith, Lily Smith, Mary Snihor, McKaylynn

Swartz, Rhemi-Lee

Trask, Breton

Thierbach, Antoinette

Trozzo, Alisha

Schager, Samantha Seel, Colton


Wagner, Jackie

Wilker, Ellen

Weaver, Colton

Wojnar, Kayli

Weismiller, David

Zurgilgen, Emily

Vincent, Luke

Weller, Kyron

Von Niessen, Riley

Westergaard, Alanna

Look how far you have come! All the best from everyone

at the

N EW S PA P E R

#8, 1008 - 8th Avenue PO Box 868,

Invermere, BC V0A 1K0

Ph: 250.341.6299 Fax: 250.341.6229

www.columbiavalleypioneer.com [email protected]

vol9issue25_grad

Documents

invermere grads

graduating class of

dreams grads

ave invermere

invermere branch

congratulations dj cake

th avenue

future hold