École Saint-Joachim celebrates graduation with largest class in years

École Saint-Joachim hallways are abuzz with excitement these days as students, staff and teachers prepare to bid farewell to their largest graduating class in recent history.

The La Broquerie DSFM school Principal Karine Pilotte says this was her first year at the helm and she is very proud of the Class of 2024, noting their enthusiasm and active participation in school activities.

"It's been a pleasure to work with this delightful group. They've shown great spirit and engagement throughout the year."

One of the highlights of this school year watching the construction of the addition to the school. Principal Pilotte says there has been ongoing construction efforts for the past five years and the expansion of their K to 12 school is now nearing completion, which will effectively double the school's size with an additional 40,000 square feet.

Map of École Saint-Joachim expansion floorplans 

"We're converting our current spaces into modern facilities, enhancing our capacity to provide quality education in our French-first environment."

With 35 graduates set to receive their diplomas next week, Principal Pilotte notes, “It is just a testament to our community's support and the students' dedication." 

This year the class of 2024 chose three valedictorians: Angèle Turenne, Gabriel Gagnon, and Sébastien Normandeau. Each shared their unique experiences and aspirations as they look ahead to their next steps.

After graduation, Angèle will be moving to New Brunswick on a sports scholarship to pursue kinesiology at the University of Moncton. She talks about her time playing volleyball and the friendships she forged.

"I really liked my experience here because I got to have my mom as my volleyball coach, and this season is especially meaningful, because it's my last one with her as my coach. The girls I played with this year were great. Their energy was awesome. The sports program here is great."

Gabriel Gagnon, is heading to St. Boniface University for political science and philosophy after graduation, with plans to eventually study law in French at the U of M. Normandeau says that his favorite moments of high school were being part of the improv team.

"This year there were a lot of great funny moments. Even though we finished in second place in the season against other DSFM schools, the whole journey from the first two seasons where we just learning (improv) to this year having the great finish was a big highlight for me." 

Sébastien Normandeau, known for his humor and camaraderie, says laughing together with his friends has been his favorite part of high school. 

"Because this is a French-language school, it's French-only except when we are in English class, and then sometimes words come out that don't make any sense and we all laugh together as a class, and it's just super fun."

Normandeau will be studying for a Bachelor of Science at the University of St. Boniface, hoping to become a Science Teacher. 

When asked what words of encouragement they would have for their fellow classmates, Angèle says, “just because a door closes doesn't mean you can't open it up again. Don' give up on it, whatever it is you're going after. Keep working at it."

Gabriel says his fellow grads ought to live their life to the fullest. "We are young, so we can do anything, pretty much, but we shouldn't rush to do everything and lock ourselves in, because we've got our whole life ahead of us."

And Sébastien echoed similar sentiments, “Don't give up, live your life to the fullest. Do the things you want to do.”

Angèle adds "Don't be a stranger. We've spent years together, so let's cherish those memories and stay connected."

École Saint-Joachim principal, Karine Pilotte

Principal Pilotte shares her thoughts with the graduating class of 2024. 

"I hope they remember what they've learned over the years and hopefully that gives them a good foundation to jump to the next chapter in their lives. And being from a small francophone community, I hope they cherish that, and they bring that with them, and they realize that, maybe later on, how special that was."  

The 2024 graduating class from École Saint-Joachim will be celebrated on Friday in La Broquerie.