Grad Portraits: December 1-3, 2025
Grad Show: April 10, 2026
1. COBSS Applications
A quick reminder that COBSS applications are due Monday, January 19 at 11:59pm.
So far, only 9 of our 40 grads have applied. Even if students are unsure about next year or considering a gap year, we strongly encourage them to apply—this is a wonderful opportunity they won’t want to miss.
2. Joel Reddmann Bursary
The KOC St. Pius Council #7359 is generously offering a bursary exclusively for Immaculata students. Despite announcing it back in November, we have not yet received any applications. See attached letter.
The deadline is February 13, and we would love to see our students take advantage of this support.
3. Okanagan College Entrance Awards
If your student is planning to attend Okanagan College, be sure to explore the entrance awards available.
All details and application links are on the Financial Aid & Awards page: www.okanagan.bc.ca/financialaid
Click “OC Awards” and scroll to High School Entrance.
4. Bishop Thomas J. Lobsinger, OMI Memorial Bursary
More information about this Knights of Columbus bursary can be found in the attached letter.
5. Grad Show Fundraiser – A Night You Won’t Want to Miss!
We’re thrilled to share details about our 2026 Grad Show, “Grad to the Future”, happening on Friday, April 10.
Doors open at 6:00pm, and we can promise an evening full of talent, laughs, and celebration of our amazing Grade 12 class.
This event is our primary fundraiser supporting prom and graduation expenses, and your presence truly makes a difference.
Special Seating Options (First Access for Grade 12 Families!)
We are excited to offer several special seating choices to help make the evening extra memorable:
Premium Seating – $200
Front-row booths (6 total), each seating 2 people and including:
• 2 beverages
• A charcuterie board
Prestige Booth (Silent Auction):
A cozy 4-person centre-stage booth with pillows, blankets, 2 charcuterie boards, and 4 beverages.
VIP Seating – $75
Comfortable cushioned seats (24 total) with tables, directly behind the booths (centre stage + first rows on the sides).
Includes one beverage of your choice.
Priority Seating – $30
Seats (18 total) directly behind VIP.
These are very popular and sold out quickly last year—first come, first served!
Silent Auction – Your Chance for the Best Seats in the House!
The Prestige Booth and one booth on each side will be available through a silent auction from:
February 4 (7:00am) to February 7 (11:45pm).
Bidding goes live at this link: https://www.32auctions.com/2026GradShow
Pre-Sale Week (February 9–13)
Tickets and concession items will be on sale at lunch and after school, or you can contact the office anytime.
• Charcuterie boxes: pre-order only
• Popcorn, hotdogs, and drinks: available the night of the show
Thank you so much for your ongoing support. This community is what makes our grad year special, and we truly hope you will encourage many other to join you for what promises to be a fun, memorable night for our grads and their families.
Please feel free to share the event with friends and relatives—we would love to fill the gym and celebrate together!
We are pleased to provide the above information regarding the following entrance awards for students. These awards are for students graduating in 2026 from a secondary school within the Okanagan College region, and entering Okanagan College in Fall 2026: Please note there have been changes to the application process as noted below.
Available to students attending any campus:
· Okanagan College President's Entrance Scholarships
o Revised criteria to highlight leadership and a greater emphasis on academic achievement. Students who apply for the High School Entrance application and select the President’s Entrance Scholarship, will be sent an additional form to outline their leadership skills in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.
· Okanagan College Community Spirit Awards
· Okanagan College Board of Governors Entrance Award
· Rick and Yasmin Thorpe & Friends Entrance Scholarship
· Highstreet Skilled Trades Fund (this is a relatively new award of $6,500 for students entering trades. Please advise your relevant industrial arts teachers of this new opportunity)
Awards specific to students attending a regional campus
· Tony Sellar Leadership Entrance Scholarship – Vernon
· Johnstone Memorial – Salmon Arm
· Penticton Campus High School Entrance Scholarships
Eligibility criteria and links to the online applications are available on the Financial Aid & Awards website: www.okanagan.bc.ca/financialaid Click on the “OC Awards” button and scroll down to High School Entrance information.
New changes for the 2026 year are as follows:
The deadline for students to submit the online application is Sunday, March 8, 2026.
A few updates for the coming year at USask.
Engineering is no longer a rolling admission, but competitive. The early admission average (Dec. 1) is a 90%, and the regular admission (Feb. 15) expected target average is around 80%.
This is also the first year that USask will begin the Masters of Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology programs.
We are handing out one $10,000 scholarship for International Students from BC this year! https://admissions.usask.ca/money/search-awards.php?award=302517ES07
The cost of a post-secondary education is rising. An article from CBC News “Rising tuition, student debt weigh heavily on post-secondary students” (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/pricedout-postsecondary-1.6378577 )states that “Canadian post-secondary students are facing ever-rising tuition, higher prices for food, housing and other necessities as well as looming debt after graduation. “(Ben Nelms/CBC). Covering those rising costs may be difficult.
Scholarships may fill the financial gap for some families. Scholarships, grants, and bursaries are types of financial assistance that you don’t have to pay back. Scholarships are typically based on merit, while grants and bursaries usually take financial need into consideration as well. Some scholarships, grants and bursaries are also based on academic achievement, athletic skill, extra-curricular involvement, or special abilities.
“Scholarships take up too much time and aren’t worth the effort”. This is a HUGE MYTH. Scholarships and bursaries are gift aid, which means they don’t accrue interest or must be repaid. There are hundreds upon hundreds of scholarship/bursary opportunities out there—from both institutional and private sources, and both merit and need-based criteria.
The more you earn in scholarship money, the less you’ll have to take out in student loans—which means you’ll graduate with less student loan debt. The importance of this cannot be stressed enough. Apply to every scholarship you’re eligible for, it truly is worth the time and effort. The less debt you have when you graduate, the more time you can spend saving up money or putting it to other uses.
Keep the following in mind when applying:
(1) Start Early: Start searching and applying for scholarships ASAP. The sooner you begin, the less stress you’ll feel when things get down to the wire.
(2) Schedule Time: Make time in your schedule to look for scholarships, and do it consistently. Make a goal for yourself, like: apply to two scholarships a week, or spend an hour on Wednesday night searching. Whatever works for you.
(3) Essays: With proper editing, you can recycle your scholarship essays for more than one opportunity. Just be sure to tailor your response to the sponsor and that your essay isn’t too generic.
(4) More Work, Less Competition: Scholarships that require a bit more work often frighten other students away. It still can be worthwhile to pursue these opportunities, however, as your chances for winning go up as the competition goes down.
Two relevant and important articles:
1. Marks don’t matter: Canadian students missing out on millions in unclaimed scholarships : https://globalnews.ca/news/4184985/marks-dont-matter-canadian-students-missing-out-on-millions-in-unclaimed-scholarships/
2. Unclaimed Scholarships in Canada in 2023: A List of Unclaimed Scholarships in Canada, plus where to find more!: https://bemoacademicconsulting.com/blog/unclaimed-scholarships-in-canada
(1) https://www.scholarshipscanada.com/
(3) https://terryfoxawards.ca/
(4) https://www.scholarshipscanada.com/Scholarships/18105/Cara-Brown-Ringette-Scholarship
(5) https://www.scholarshipscanada.com/Scholarships/31512/Heather-Simpson-Memorial-Award-in-Dance
(6) https://debeersgroup.scholarshipscanada.com/
(7) David Hoy Memorial Endowed Scholarship
a. British Columbia students studying Forestry
(8) https://www.interiorsavings.com/about-us/community/bursary-programs
(9) https://blog.remax.ca/quest-for-excellence/
(10)https://bcscholarships.ca/all_scholarships.php
(11)https://skillscanada.bc.ca/grants-bursaries-scholarships/
(12)https://bc.cmha.ca/programs-services/scholarships-and-bursaries/
(13)https://www.hsabc.org/member-benefits/scholarships-and-bursaries
(14)https://www.kpu.ca/studyabroad/go-on-exchange/funding-scholarships/bc-scholarship-society
(16)https://bcssa.org/about-us/bcssa-grade-12-scholarship/
(17)https://www.bchydro.com/community/community-giving/scholarships.html
(18)https://www.bcschoolsports.ca/member-services/scholarships
(19)https://www.educanada.ca/scholarships-bourses/index.aspx?lang=eng
(20)https://bridgeseduscholarships.com/10-february-scholarships-for-canadian-students-in-2024/
For those specifically headed into the trades
· https://www.tradestrainingbc.ca/financialassistance/
· https://bccwitt.ca/resources/
Indigenous Specific Awards/Bursaries
· https://www.bcscholarshipsociety.ca/indigenous-awards/about-this-award/
· https://indspire.ca/programs/students/bursaries-scholarships/
· https://www.mnbc.ca/form/mnbc-scholarship-program
· https://www.mnbc.ca/media/2195
· https://www.nimetis.com/education.html