The school’s auditorium was packed tight by an audience of students, staff and families who created an enthusiastic and supportive crowd for the entire evening.

Darcy Findlay, physical education teacher at the high school, opened the evening by thanking the teachers, volunteer coaches and students for their dedication to their various sports throughout the season.

Before Findlay progressed into handing out individual and team awards, he mentioned some highlights for the athletic department from the year, including the installation of new bleachers in the gym, a project that was in the works for two and a half years, and the addition of two new varsity changerooms.

Throughout the evening, coaches were welcomed to the podium to give a short recap of their season before awarding certificates to students who displayed specific qualities such as outstanding skills, strong leadership, hard work and dedication throughout their sport.

Four major awards were given to students who show exceptional athletic and leadership qualities: junior athlete of the year award recipients were Bentley Lalonde and Iyla Smith, and senior athlete of the year award recipients were Gibbson Lang and Emma Feenstra.

Lang, who received many awards throughout the evening, was acknowledged alongside student Bailey Beardsley for becoming the new PHS beep-test record-holder, reaching levels 13.7 and 9.8, respectively.

“At the end of the day, it’s about the kids. They work really hard at all the stuff they do, especially at school, but athletics is a big part of it,” the school’s athletic director Chad Davis told THE EQUITY ahead of the event.

“It’s good to acknowledge all their hard work throughout the year. Because some people may not realize how many teams some of these kids actually play on and how much time they put in,” he said.

The PHS athletics department kickstarted a few new sports this year, including baseball, junior boys basketball, and flag football.

“For the size of our school, I think we offer a ton of stuff,” Davis said. The school, with a population of just over 400 students, has a competitive athletic department that offers a variety of sports and programs, from a developmental basketball program and outdoor education, to hockey, rugby and track and field.

To cap off the evening, PHS’s new principal Luke McLaren took to the stage to congratulate the students and coaches for their seasons.

“One observation that I have tonight is these student athletes are not only contributing to the school in terms of athletics, but also a lot of them are also stellar students who contribute to the school in many beautiful ways,” he said before thanking the teachers as well as the volunteers who donate their time to make these teams possible. Finally, he turned his gratitude to staff members Chad Davis and Darcy Findlay who organized the event.

“The amount of time that goes into organizing this event is astronomical, so thank you very much. And thank you for your dedication to the athletic department,” McLaren said.

Athletic director Chad Davis (left) and teacher and coach Darcy Findlay (right) present Gibbson Lang (center) with the senior male athlete of the year award. Lang earned multiple awards throughout the evening, including a coaches’ award and the George Welsh Memorial MVP award in hockey, offensive MVP in senior flag football, top male athlete of his grade (10), and outstanding contribution to athletics by a student. Photo: Emma McGrath

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