North Peace Secondary School

WRESTLING

Coaches Ian Forbes & Josh Cullen

The wrestling team had a great season, with as many as 15 kids coming out at one time for practice. This year, the program focused on skill development, fostering a love of the sport, and providing as many students as possible with the opportunity to learn. The team traveled to Grande Prairie twice, once to participate in a mini-camp with wrestlers from Grande Prairie Composite High School and once to compete in the Northern Lights Wrestling Tournament. We are hoping to build on the success we had this season and look forward to next year! 

Top Wrestler: Hailey Gillard

Coaches Choice: William King 

JUNIOR GIRLS BASKETBALL

Coach Samantha Stackhouse

This season was certainly special, with a significant amount of practice time spent laughing, and many more post-game cookies than were necessary. While there’s no doubt that the girls demonstrated significant improvement in both their technical skills and their knowledge of the game throughout the season, I think they would tell you that the best part of being on the team was the connection that they made with each other and the love of the game that we fostered every single day. We finished the season as more than just a team, we finished as a family. Girls: Congrats on a great season! I can’t wait to see what you can do at the senior level next year. Always remember to prioritize and execute. 

Most Valuable Player: Sophia De Torres

Coaches Choice: Meghan Stobbe

JUNIOR BOYS BASKETBALL

Coach Eugene Concepcion

The team was composed of fine young men with varying degrees of basketball experience and skill level. As the season went along, the team developed that bond and cohesiveness that made them tough to beat. The team developed a never say die attitude and the game is not over till the last second mentality. We were in games in which we were losing by 30 points before half but managed to win the game at the end proves this point. The team had one first place finish, three second place finishes, one fourth place finish and one fifth place finish. Overall, the junior boys team had a great season – learned and developed skills as the season progressed, made good friends with teammates and opponents alike but most of all, the team had FUN and love the game of basketball.

MVP: Cy Bellamy

Coaches Choice: Zack Dool

SENIOR GIRLS BASKETBALL

Coaches Jaclyn McNicol & Rebecca Tompkins 

The 2019-2020 season started off strong with the girls working hard to strive for their goals. The team worked hard in practice to demonstrate it on the court. The focus was on changing our mindset on the court because frustration or anger would easily change our skill level. Once the individuals started to turn their mental toughness around the team began to play strong basketball. Thinking and acting like a basketball player was an important aspect to the team, each individual had to do that. The tournaments that we went to in Grande Prairie, Dawson Creek and Prince George ending with a 3rd, 4th or 5th place finish. The team was filled with injuries this year that prevented the team to fully grow. Competing in Zones the team set out to play the best basketball they have played all year. This was the first time all 12 members of the team played a full game. The girls fought hard to the very end but fell short. Thank you all for stepping up and taking the challenge. It didn’t end the way we wanted it to but we had some fun along the way!

Most Valuable Player: Jordynn McPherson

Coaches Choice: Kaylie Willeboordse

Ross Memorial Most Inspirational: MacKenzie O’Brien

Rookie of the Year: Linsey Edwards

SENIOR BOYS BASKETBALL

Coaches Gabe Gonzales & Ryan Galay 

We came into the season having high expectations and big goals for this team, because of the amount of talent we had on the court. It was overall a successful and winning season, but in the end we came short of Provincials, as we lost in a 3 game series to the PGSS Polars, at Zones. Regardless, it was a tremendous season that allowed the boys to learn and grow on the court, but more importantly grow as people. Lastly, we had lots of fun as a team and those experiences are the most important part of a successful program.  

Most Valuable Player: Liam Peterson 

Coaches Choice: Anaff Dema

Ross Memorial Most Inspirational: Tristan Soychuk

Rookie of the Year: Gryphon Talbot

Being a Grizzly means being part of a family; a family that holds you to a higher standard, pushes you to be the best version of yourself, and will always be there to pick you up when you’re down. It means that whether you put that jersey on once, or more times than you can count, you will always be a Grizzly. 

Lots of people make excuses, quit when it gets hard, are afraid of failure, and avoid tough situations. Not Grizzlies. Being a Grizzly means saying YES to a challenge. It means running head-on into adversity without fear of adversity pushing back. Being a Grizzly means that you are not afraid of failing, because you know that failure is just another opportunity to learn.

Being a Grizzly means having pride in who you play for. It means showing up and leaving it all on the field, court, or track and knowing that your teammates standing beside you love the grind just as much as you do. It means waking up early, even when you don’t want to, because every day that you show up, you are rising to the challenge and getting better. Being a Grizzly means attacking every rep, set, drill, and down and back with intensity, drive, and an unwavering work ethic. It means giving your best effort, no matter what. 

Even though we didn’t have a Spring Season, the Grizzlies family found ways to stay together. We used this time off to work on our weaknesses, rehab injuries, and focus on our studies. Next season, we will come back bigger, faster, and stronger. 

To our Grade 12s: Thank you for showing us the way. You will always be a Grizzly. 

Being a Grizzly means that you will always belong to this family.

Remember, it’s still Grizzly Season. 

CROSS COUNTRY

Coaches Rebecca Pimm & Samantha Stackhouse

We had a small, but committed, group of runners this season who ran in all kinds of weather from beautiful, sunny days to snow and -10! The team raced in Grande Prairie, Beaverlodge, and Dawson Creek, with a couple of 2nd and 3rd place finishes prior to competing in the NCD Zone Championships at the end of October. We had 4 runners compete at Zones, all of whom qualified for the BC Provincial Championships in Vancouver. After sitting out most of the season due to injury, Kane Schreiner had our best result, finishing in 28th place in the Junior Boys Division (out of 281 runners!). 

Top Runner: Jordynn McPherson

Coaches Choice: Carter Collins

SENIOR BOYS SOCCER

Coaches Dan Turner & Dave Buziak

The season started in Prince George with a 2nd place finish after a loss in the final game to DP Todd. A number of the boys couldn’t make the trip. We were missing a few players and weren’t yet gelling as a team. The next tournament was provincials in Burnaby. After a 2-day bus ride, the boys had a strong tournament with 1-1-3 record. They placed 15th. The team showed exceptional character and true team spirit despite several unfortunate setbacks. A number of early sanctions proved to be the difference in some closer than anyone expected ties. The final game of the tournament was an emotional match up against Argyle Secondary School that brought the boys together like never before. Just in time for a two day drive back home. Overnight stops in Quesnel were worth a mention. It was an honour to coach them.

Most Valuable Player: Harrison Sewell

Coaches Choice: Caleb Mohninger

Rookie of the Year: Brock Schroeder

JUNIOR GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Coach Ian Zackodnik

We had a strong building year, performing well in tournaments, and finding our groove. The girls were committed to the team and improved leaps and bounds over the course of our season. We had a good balance of competition, entering two junior tournaments and two senior tournaments. While we didn’t place in the senior tournaments, they were an incredible learning experience and provided opportunities for growth that we wouldn’t have found playing against our own age group. At the end of the season, we qualified for the NCD Zone Championships in Prince George with a 2nd place finish at our Regional tournament, however, we weren’t able to travel due to inclement weather. It was a bittersweet end, but overall it was a great season with an awesome team of girls who played well and finished the season with their heads held high!

Most Valuable Player: Brooklyn Brown

Coaches Choice: Gracie English

SENIOR GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Coach Alex Bacso

The best way to describe our season was rocky! We had a fairly dominant young team and there was a lot of growth. The most positive outcome of this year was our ability to challenge strong teams and earn points against some of the best teams in BC and Alberta. This year was a consistent learning curve not only for the players, but for myself with tons of ups and downs. The seniors set an excellent example for the juniors and I’m so proud to have coached all these incredible athletes and again always look forward to improving in the coming years!

Most Valuable Player: Brynn Shaw

Coaches Choice: MacKenzie O’Brien

Rookie of the Year: Ann Marie Barrette

SENIOR BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Coach Tyson Lyons

Our season with the Senior Boys Volleyball team started off slow, but once we got the ball rolling and clicked together as a team I believe we could have competed with any of the teams we faced. Our team went from having a basic knowledge of volleyball to having a very technical understanding of the game. As a coach, it was beautiful to see them transition into those types of players. Unfortunately, the team didn’t get to continue on to provincials this year. However, we were able to capture the DCSS Gold Medal for the 3rd or 4th year in a row! I’d like to recognize the graduating athletes: Tim Stobbe, Andrew Middleton, Tristan Hynes, Jayden Beuckert, Nathan Narciso, and Jerald Cosme. The 6 of you were able to come into the gym and bring your own kinds of leadership and experiences to each practice. Without the 6 of you, I believe the season would have gone a lot differently. So I thank you, for bringing that leadership and giving the younger guys role models to look up to. Best of luck after high school, I am certain that you are all destined for great things.

Most Valuable Player: Nathan Narciso

Coaches Choice: Drew Woodruff

Rookie of the Year: Devon Lee

Current NPSS students share what it means to them to be a Grizzly. Today, Megan Salinas, Brynn Shaw, Emma Carlstad, Tim Stobbe, Tristan Hynes, Jordynn McPherson, and Ethyn Lang are interviewed. Full article published on Alaska Highway News

This is a mock up for grads and families to see what we are putting together to video students walking the stage. A compilation of all the video footage will be put together into a virtual ceremony and we will stream it on June 19th, 2020.

From SunFM: We know that this isn’t how you wanted to end your year and we want to help!

We want to showcase all of the 2020 Grads in the entire Region! How? Send us your Grad photo – either in cap and gown, or all dressed up in your prom outfits, or any picture at all. Please include your full name and high school in the form!

Then on June 5th we will air a Grad Tribute on our website for you to see and share with your friends and families. To upload your photo, visit Peace SunFM Grad Photo Upload

Just because the spring and summer high school seasons were cancelled doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of NPSS Grizzlies accomplishments to celebrate.

The annual athletics awards will be announced throughout the week, starting June 2. In the weeks leading up to the awards, current Grizzlies will share what it means to them to be a Grizzly. This week, Breanna Hicks, Carter Collins, Hailey Gillard, Gryphon Talbot, and Haeli Ziegler are interviewed. ~ Full article published in the Alaska Highway News

Meet your new student council for 2020/2021! These students are eager to take on leadership roles and will be working hard to ensure your experience here is memorable!

https://www.prn.bc.ca/wp-content/Parent-Letter_Stage-3_May-192020.pdf

Just because the spring and summer high school seasons were cancelled doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of NPSS Grizzlies accomplishments to celebrate. The annual athletics awards will be announced throughout the week, starting June 4. In the weeks leading up to the awards, current Grizzlies will share what it means to them to be a Grizzly. – The full article has been posted on Alaska Highway News