The Niverville High School grad committee is excited to be bringing the grad social back home for 2026.

“Last year, when it was hosted in Steinbach, it didn’t go very well,” says Lindsay Unrau, grad parent and grad committee co-chair. “We are very excited this year because we’re going to be hosting our safe grad at the CRRC, so nobody has to leave town. We hope this relationship continues throughout the next couple of years.”

As in previous years, the ceremony will take place in the high school gymnasium and the banquet will return to the Heritage Centre. From there, students will be transported to the CRRC for the safe grad social.

With 107 potential graduates this year and the numbers growing year after year, the committee imagines it won’t be long before the entire event, from start to finish, may be held in the CRRC campus.

This year, the social will take place in the arena section. It’s a similar venue to last year’s event, held at the Southeast Event Centre in Steinbach.

One of the big differences, though, is that the CRRC’s arena offers a concrete floor surface in the summer months, unlike the Southeast Centre, which provided a faux floor covering over ice that left attendees with cold feet. Another issue was that water wicked through the floor.

A lot of plans are already in place for this year’s social, a direct reflection of what the graduating class has said they want from their milestone celebration. There will be silent auctions and casino games, and the Nighthawks will provide bar services.

Unrau is one of four co-chairs on the 2026 grad committee. Joining her are Krista Shidel, Amanda Kipe, and Bonnie Sagriff. Rounding out the committee are a list of subcommittees consisting of more parents and grads.

With graduates numbering over 100, the cost of creating a memorable event can be exorbitant. The committee’s budget this year is $21,000, and that doesn’t include any big extravagances.

“That’s a lean budget, we’re finding, as we’re getting quotes,” Kipe says. “We’re having to be very creative. Inflation has really [impacted costs].”

Part of that creativity comes in finding ways to encourage local support through sponsorships that benefit the sponsor and not just the grads.

“We have a sponsorship package where businesses are going to get quite a bit of value for their sponsorship,” Unrau says. “Sponsorship starts at $250 with the bronze level and goes all the way to $1,000-plus for the gold level.”

Whether making a monetary donation or providing an item for the silent auction, sponsors will receive varying levels of online promotion, signage, and special mentions based on the value of their donation. The first six gold sponsors will have their logo appear on the back of the grad ticket.

But the grad committee is hoping that the Niverville public will also stand behind their newest graduating class. For this reason, they’re hosting a number of fundraisers to reduce the ticket costs for grads and their families.

“We don’t want there to be obstacles for any of the grads to attend based on costs,” Kipe says. “So we want to fundraise as much as possible.”

The fundraisers began last year with a Rocco’s frozen pizza sale and an online 50/50 draw which is still in progress. Ticket sales for the draw will end at midnight on February 12. Ticket holders are invited to join the committee at the high school on February 13 for the announcement of the big winner.

“We’re hoping that 50/50 will take off and that will be the end of our fundraising journey,” says Shidel.

At the time of this writing, just over $7,000 had been raised.

Aside from financial investment, the co-chairs say there’s one more way for the public to show big support for their graduating students.

Each year, just prior to grad, the Grade 12 students participate in a parade that meanders through the community. It’s an event that began during COVID-19 restrictions and continues simply because the graduates love putting on this display of pomp and pageantry.