It was an evening of joy for LCCVI’s Grade 12 students as they crossed the stage to become graduates.

LCCVI Principal Greg Nemcek presided over the ceremony in Bradshaw Hall for the last time before he retired and acknowledged the bittersweet moment .

“This year’s group of graduates will forever hold a special place in my heart, as I remember them as a group that I too crossed the stage as a Lancer for the last time,” he said.

“As principal of LCCVI, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing your growth, your accomplishments and your unwavering spirit, you have added your mark in this very prestigious educational institution, and for that, we thank you. But now it’s time for you to explore, to dream and discover your future.”

It was a comment echoed by Lancer Alumni and Rhodes Scholar Marissa Mueller remembered her time at the Petrolia high school between 2014 to 2018.

“So much has changed, yet some things remain the same. Smell of the gymnasium. The sound of their drums … Many memories have been accumulated in this place. Can you remember your first day of Grade Nine? I remember I felt terrified, especially after I accidentally lit the cafeteria microwave on fire, she said.

“I did not truly appreciate what we have at LCCVI in Petrolia and in Lambton County, until I left,” she said.

“In the library at Oxford, I’d think about the smell of cut hay in the summer, the sound of gravel under truck tires, news crunching and campfires sparkling, running down dirt roads with dust flying in, windows open and the radio blasting, the way you can see every star in the sky clear night and walk around Petrolia after the sun has set, these things are not ordinary. They are a precious narrative and something you cannot fully understand until you experience what life is like elsewhere,” said Mueller.

“So my advice is to leave go, travel to new places and bring new backgrounds, meet people from all across the world having different religious beliefs and customs and who speak languages you don’t yet know exist. Attach something to your backpack to show that you’re Canadian.

“Go far and carry this place with you. Explore and learn what textbooks can’t teach you.”