2025 Grad Remarks Entertain and Inspire

The big buzz around Vic High the last six weeks of school was whether or not Principal Aaron Parker would be at grad. Mid-May he’d taken a very well-deserved personal leave, returning only briefly in July to clean out his desk and prepare to lead Tillicum Elementary School as its principal. His wisdom, compassion, sense of humour, and extraordinary rapport with Vic High students and staff had touched everyone and he’d definitely be missed at grad.

But a surprise was in the works. Acting Principal Dani Mercer stepped up to the mic for the Principal’s Remarks, but quickly revealed it was Aaron who would speak. He’d been hidden backstage until this point in the ceremony, and as he stepped up to the podium the students’ cheers were almost deafening. He was here after all!

Aaron Parker

Good evening everyone,  You didn’t think I was going to miss this, did you?

First, I want to thank Ms. Mercer, Ms. Bartlett, Mr. Phillips, and our incredible office staff for so capably taking care of Vic High during these hectic final months. A special thank you to Ms. Mercer for graciously letting me deliver the Principal’s address tonight—even though I’m not technically the Principal anymore.

This is my ninth time giving a grad address at Vic High—but for the first time, I do so not as the school’s Principal. Let’s get this out of the way: no, I didn’t rage-quit after the 22nd false fire alarm. And no, I’m not leaving to pursue life as a full-time Instagram personality. I’ve never done parkour, and frankly, I don’t understand most of what’s on the fan page. While I am on a short leave to regroup after a few incredibly busy and unpredictable years, Vic High—and especially the extraordinary young people behind me tonight—have never been far from my thoughts.

As many of you know, this is also my final year at Vic High. So in a way, I am graduating too—it just took me a lot longer than the Class of 2025. We all move at our own pace.

I’ve been incredibly lucky to have built strong relationships with Vic High students over the years, and that couldn’t be truer than with this group. Together, we’ve been through some adventurous times— the end of COVID, Topaz, moving back into our renovated home. And somehow, it feels right that we’re leaving Vic High together.

With those shared experiences come some universal truths—things that only we Vic High grads would understand.

Like costumes. At Vic High, costumes are essential to the curriculum. To outsiders, it may be strange to see a teacher show up as Godzilla, Pikachu, or Batman in formal wear. But to us on this stage… okay, it’s still strange. But it’s an authentic part of the Vic High experience.

We’ve come to expect that our Physics teacher might break into a ukulele solo or that our Socials teacher might bust out a set of pull-ups mid-lesson. These are the foundations of a Vic High education.

We on this stage understand that textiles instruction should be delivered verbally and that no detail, no matter how obscure, will ever be left out.

Our French Immersion grads know that learning the language is best done at maximum volume.  You may not understand the words that Madame Campbell is saying but you are absolutely going to hear them.  You – and the class across the hall.

Many of the students behind me understand that climbing the fifth flight of stairs to get to math class can be substituted with standing at the top of any other set of stairs in the school, as long as you are secretly vaping with friends.

Vending machines are not just snack dispensers—they are an important social gathering place and a great source of entertainment. And as for the state of the bathroom doors… let’s leave that one alone.

There are some things I’ll never fully relate to—but in so many other ways, I feel deeply connected to the Class of 2025.

Tonight, we celebrate 198 remarkable grads. This class has grown not just in number, but in cultural richness, with students from around the world bringing unique perspectives that have enriched our community. I think of Rayan and Lina and their special bond with Brigitte and the office team. Of students like Ryan and Katalin, whose quiet kindness brightened our classrooms. Of Silas and Roxie, who bravely transitioned all the way from Oak Bay to quickly become valued members of Vic High.

These relationships stay with me. I’ll always treasure the breathtaking Lahal set Silas made for me from copper and yellow cedar. The four-leaf clover William gave me to ward off future fire alarms. And the cupcake Tullulah baked in my likeness—honestly, it’s unsettling how much it looks like me. That kid’s a creative genius.

She’s not the only one. Emilia’s vocal performances have stopped me in my tracks more times than I can count. Whether it’s dancers like Shay, Regina, and Kweena or actors and musicians like Eli, Claire, Audrey and Lila —the courage and authentis -ity they bring to the stage is inspiring.

Then there are our community builders. The advocacy work of Molly, Aya, and Tulia has left Vic High a more inclusive, compassionate place.

Gifted athletes like Parker, Christiene, Andrew and Lucy’s incredible physical accomplishments are only overshadowed by their kindness and sport-personship.

I think of the numerous courageous performances we have been treated to by athletes like Jhadel, Pheonix and Zhora.  I am not sure I could name a more earnest hard working-group of athletes.

Academically, we celebrate students like Kaya, Talia, Miles, Walker, Anni and Phoenix who’ve earned major entrance scholarships. The future is bright for them, as it is for so many of our graduates.

But what strikes me most about this group isn’t just the accomplishments—it’s the kindness. The authentis -ity. The way you welcomed each other—and me—with such genuine warmth. Whether it was Silas, Ansel, Marin, and McCarthy inviting me to play spikeball at lunch, or Brooklyn, Severyn, and Helena drawing me into your conversations—even if some of those chats were cleverly disguised as stall tactics—the care you show for one another is real. Asha’s updates on her most recent triumphs and challenges usually end with “You’re my favourite Principal, Mr. Parker.” (I’m her only Principal, but still—I’ll take it.)

As an honorary graduate of Vic High, I’d be remiss not to thank the broader community that raised and supported these amazing young people. To our alumni, our generous community partners, and especially to the families and caregivers—thank you. Whether you were the parent on the PAC and brought homemade cookies each month, like William and Cooper‘s grandmother, or the parent who, like me, occasionally forgot to call in an absence—our work together has always felt like a partnership. It is an honour to share a small piece of the pride you feel tonight.

To the staff—and this part is tough. Over the past nine years, we’ve banded together through tragic losses, we have celebrated numerous triumphs, shared laughter, persevered through some notable discomforts, and all for the betterment of our students. For what you have collectively navigated over the past number of years, for your friendship and support, but most of all for your commitment to the young people we celebrate today you have my deepest admiration, respect, and gratitude.

Finally, to the Class of 2025: It has been an honour to be your Principal. I wish you success, happiness, and adventure wherever your path leads. Thank you for taking the time to include me in your journey.

And now, if you’ll indulge me one last time, it would be my great honour to sing the school song with you as we close this ceremony together.

Valedictorians Tallulah MacLeod and Phoenix Ross

Grade 12 students elect their valedictorian, or in this case – as has happened in the past – two students to share the responsibility. Sometimes each student speaks on their own. But this year, Tallulah and Phoenix scripted their speech and presented it together.

Tallulah:  Hey just before we give our valedictorian speech What’s your name again?

Phoenix:  Oh I’m Phoenix Ross, And you are…

Tallulah:  Tallulah Macleod.

Phoenix: Right! As you can tell our grad class couldn’t be closer.

Tallulah:  We have been through many trials and tribulations, from breaking a sweat as we encounter Mr Sakiyama peer pressuring us to eat toast for the first time…

Phoenix: to watching the best Principal we could have asked for, get drenched with buckets on buckets of water on the front steps of the school as his final act.

Tallulah:  In middle school, walking through Vic High was like walking through paradise. Teens were sitting on the grass laughing and talking, hula hooping, playing guitar, and everyone was so grown up and attractive. I couldn’t wait to be laying on the field of that beautiful old building. gossiping with my artsy and wildly diverse friend group. And when that first day of high school finally came, I hiked up a muddy hill, opened those big green doors at SJ Willis, ate my lunch in the bathroom stall and cried. When we first walked through the doors of SJ, it felt like we were stepping into someone else’s story.

Phoenix:  …story already written, with expectations, labels, and assumptions about who we were, who we could be, and what kind of ending we might have. Sometimes it felt like the world wanted to write our chapters for us. Like we were just following a script. People glanced at our backgrounds, our clothes, our grades, our friend group – and thought they knew the whole plot. But here’s the truth, and we know it’s cliche: you truly can’t judge a book by its cover, and you definitely can’t understand it without reading every page. Inside these pages were things you couldn’t always see:

Tallulah: Late nights filled with quiet resilience.

Phoenix:  Personal battles fought in silence.

Tallulah:   Moments of courage that never made it into yearbooks or awards.

Together:  But they happened. And they mattered.

Phoenix:   Before we continue, we want to ask everyone to take a quick second to think about one dream for your future. It can be something big or small, something you’ve always known or something that just came to you. This is just for you—hold it in the back of your mind. And when the road on your way to that dream gets tough, we hope you’ll remember this moment and remind yourself why you started.

Tallulah: Each hallway we walked hoping to see our crush, each class we sat through feeling like every minute to the bell was like 10 years off our lives, each laugh, mistake, victory- became a paragraph in the story of this graduating class.

Phoenix:  And together, our chapters are now etched into Vic High’s history- not just as memories, but as part of its legacy.

Tallulah:  You might be thinking “gah…you don’t know me. I was a lone wolf all of high school. I’m glad it’s over. ”  And to that I say – good! Peaking in high school is the most awful thing that can happen to a person. I can only hope that Vic High is the worst experience of our lives. Because that’s a pretty good worst experience to have.

Phoenix: Every time I say I go to Vic High someone replies “oh that’s cool”. Well… almost every time. We are known as the school filled with passionate students and a strong community. We added our voices to the narrative of this place – voices that will echo in the gym, the music room, the art wing, the court, or the classroom – long after we’ve turned the page.

Tallulah: And now…. we stand here, with a big hand full of blank papers

Phoenix: No more waiting for someone else to write for us. No more shrinking into someone else’s idea of who we are. Only we can decide what happens next. It’s time to open that bathroom stall door and dry your eyes.

Together: So whatever your next chapter looks like- Make it bold. Make it honest. Make it yours.

Tallulah:  To our teachers, families, and friends- thank you for following our story even when it got cringy and hard to read.

Phoenix: To our classmates- thank you for being the plot twists, the main characters, the co-authors, sometimes the villains, and the reason this chapter mattered so much.

Tallulah: Right now we are seniors at Vic High, but in the blink of an eye we will be real seniors looking back on this day and thinking, wow I was so wildly unprepared. But until then we have the reunion to look forward to. And many more plot points.

Phoenix: Now before we wrap up, think back to that dream you put in the corner of your mind. Know that this isn’t just the end of high school. It’s the beginning of everything else. So, let your dream now be a spark. Let it remind you: you’re capable, you’re worthy, and thunder only happens when it’s raining.

Together:  Congratulations, Vic High Class of 2025.  This has been a real page turner!