GFESS class of 2026 graduates with nearly $100,000 in awards

Fred Louws gave his last principal’s address for Greater Fort Erie Secondary School (GFESS) Thursday night for the graduation of 263 Grade 12 students, saying, “With this graduating class, I feel very confident in our future.”

The graduation ceremony took place June 25 in the Fort Erie Leisureplex where hundreds of friends, families and faculty gathered to celebrate the achievements and resilience of the class of 2026, walking away with nearly $100,000 in scholarships, bursaries and awards.

“This graduating class has represented our school in such a positive manner over the years,” said Louws.

Several graduating GFESS students achieved top national and provincial honours this year, and collected awards and bursaries during the ceremony.

Gabrielle Cudmore won gold at the Skills Canada National Competition in Toronto last month, competing against more than 500 students, after three years of competing without a win.

Cudmore also co-wrote and co-directed ‘High School Is Killing Me’ with classmate Morgan Young, a one-act play that won three awards after advancing to the NTS DramaFest South Regional Showcase in Hamilton.

Thursday night she received the OSSTF D22 Excellence in Education award and the Governor General’s Bronze Academic medal.

Emma Mowers and Wyatt Todd each received a $2,500 Niagara Principal’s Scholarship from Brock University after Louws nominated the pair for their “standout” fulfilment of GFESS’s core values.

Caleb Browne received the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 230 Bursary after being named Ontario’s top air cadet earlier this month.

Student council prime ministers Linkyn Willick and Paige Henneberger won the GFESS Student Benefits Student Council Award.

They helped raise funds and prepare GFESS students to attend the three day Ontario Student Leadership Conference (OSLC) last November, along with elected District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) student trustee and GFESS student William Connor.

GFESS’s 2026 valedictorian, Tage Carranza, gave his address at the commencement ceremony, competing earlier this month in the 11th annual Niagara College Soccer Showcase in Welland and winning the MVP award for GFESS’s soccer program.

All 263 graduates crossed the stage to receive their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), 124 of them wearing DSBN gold or silver medallions earned for averaging at least 80 per cent across their top 12 Grade 11 and 12 courses.

“Our current Grade 9s, 10s, 11s and our incoming Grade 8s look up to you, and appreciate all the positive influence that you have provided,” said Louws.

Owen Riel, the recently appointed DSBN trustee for Fort Erie and GFESS’s own valedictorian from the class of 2020, framed the ceremony as an opportunity to recognize the role of public education in helping young people develop the skills to face future challenges.

The class of 2026 faces a steeper bill for post-secondary school this fall, after the Ontario government announced last February it would lift a seven-year freeze on domestic tuition and cut the share of OSAP funding offered as grants from 85 per cent in 2018, to 25 per cent, pushing the remaining 75 per cent onto loans.

GFESS students walked out of class twice this year over those changes, first in March during a blizzard and again in May.

During the April GFESS council meeting, Louws emphasized that the federal loan portion of OSAP funding carries zero interest during payback after post-secondary graduation, spread out over 10 years.

A full list of every award and graduate is posted on GFESS’s website.

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