Forever proud to be a Lancer

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/05/2014 (4187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of the special things about being a Manitoban is our inherent connectedness and loyalty.  

We may travel away for school or adventure, but most times we are drawn back to the deep sense of home we feel when we return to our neighborhoods. This feeling has rarely been so powerful for me than at the Dakota Collegiate 50th Anniversary Celebration.

I am not shy to admit that I loved high school. The teachers at Dakota were second to none. People like Mr. Ilychyna, through excellent pedagogy and terrible jokes, taught us the importance of being good citizens and lifelong learners. Mr. Cowie developed in us a sense of passion and awe for great literature. Mr. Nord, with his razor-sharp wit, instilled in us a fierce sense of competition. I look back with fondness at those relationships and count myself lucky to have been a Dakota Lancer.

It is fitting, then, that the school chose to honour its past principals and induct into its sports hall of fame the many individuals who have gone on to greatness. Hundreds of alumni looked on during the ceremony, often with scarcely a dry eye in the house, feeling proud and humbled by the strong history being shared by so many with a common love for what had been such an authentic part in our collective upbringing.

The social evening was attended by alumni from across the decades, and it was wonderful to connect with the girls with whom I’d spent so many hours in the gym. It seemed impossible to us that 30 years have passed since our graduation… indeed, it took an additional glass of wine before we said that number out loud. But the bonds we formed at Dakota are unshakable, so we talked and laughed with our classmates as if no time had passed at all.

Many thanks to the current staff and students at Dakota as well as to the alumni committee for making this powerful reunion happen. Your many efforts allowed people like me to remember those special times, and to reinforce the fact that I shall steadfastly remain a proud Manitoban and without question, a Lancer for life.