A Look Into Grad ‘26

Photo Credit: Maggie Perreault

With only one semester left, the grads of 2026 are making some lasting memories with their peers and cherishing their last few months at Hamber. Grad Committee members have been working hard to plan events to both fuel grade spirit and fundraise, in hopes of raising enough money for Prom and other special grad events.

The Grad Committee has held many fundraisers throughout this school year. Clairisa Yang (12), the Director of Communications, explained that the committee has held “lots of pizza-day sales. We’ve done bahn mi sales and lots of food sales, because that usually brings the whole school together. We [also sold] rose grams for Valentine's.”

As well, Grad Chair Ronik Khanna (12) shared that “for sales, we've done the grad hoodie.” The majority of grads purchased a grad hoodie, so a lot of profit was brought in through that sale.

The Grad Committee’s fundraising efforts contribute to many different events. They have set their sights mainly on fundraising for Prom, which includes a DJ and photo booths, but are also fundraising for the Grad Breakfast and Grad Ceremony.

Yang explained that they are fundraising for “events in general, and especially for decorations within Prom.” These decorations include photo booths, which have been a large focus for the Grad Committee, since they typically get lots of interest from students. Khanna had similar thoughts, sharing that their “main focus is just to get more fundraisers out so that we can get photo booths and have decorations for Prom.”

Yang added that they are also fundraising to give out other gifts to grads at the end of the dance. “Last year they gave out tote bags, so we're planning to do something like that. Maybe it's a hat or a wallet.”

Grad Committee’s events are also planned with the guidance of teacher sponsors Ms. T. Yip (Science) and Mr. M. Lenko (Math). In relation to fundraisers, Ms. Yip described that she does “any administration work, so getting a letter sorted, applying for a PAC game night fund, sorting out all the different vendors, bookings, and everything. Coordinating, paying the big bills, so that way, the kids can have fun.”

Additionally, Ms. Yip also shared that the purpose of these events is “to hype up the grad spirit [and] to make sure that the Grade 12s have an enjoyable year.” 

With this purpose, some events have also been hosted to boost grade spirit while still fundraising. These include Pie a Senior and Grad Karaoke, which Yang mentioned are organized to create “fun for the whole grade.”

The committee is still trying to squeeze in fun activities and fundraisers in the last few months of the year. Khanna explained that the committee will be doing a lot of planning for both Prom and the Grad Ceremony. 

“But then, also for the grade just to have more fun, we're going to have a senior sunrise and a few little events here and there,” he shared. 

Yang added that they’re going to do more things similar to Pie a Senior, and “also the ice bucket challenge, maybe near the summertime.” More food fundraisers will be held, and possibly more karaoke or sing-alongs, though the most popular event has been Pie a Senior, she added.

Yang also commented on how many grads were very excited to pie Khanna, who shared that his “personal memory that's going to last forever is getting pied in the face a bunch of times [at] Pie a Senior.”

In the fall, other events were held to boost school spirit, such as Senior Sunset and Grad Cruise. Grad Cruise was an event organized by Mr. N. Despotakis (Administration) and held on a boat that docked at the downtown harbour. On the three-hour cruise, students had a meal together, took photos on the deck, and danced on the dance floor. Audrey Lee (12) attended the Grad Cruise and shared that “The cruise was great, I hope we can do that again.” 

As a long-time sponsor of the committee, Ms. Yip shared that “they impress [every year], and this year, they worked really hard to get everything ready [...] a lot of the drive, it comes from the Grad Chair, as well as the Grad Committee members.” She explained that the Grad Committee does a lot of grunt work and organizing for the graduating class behind the scenes. 

In these last few months for the class of 2026, it’s a mix of both excitement and nerves for many grads, but as Lee shared, “they’ve got a bright future ahead of them!”