Graduation

May 22, 2026

Class of 2026 Celebration

CAA Centre, Brampton

Wednesday, June 10th 6:30 p.m.

All grade 12 students and their families are invited to attend the Class of 2026 Celebration Ceremony on Wednesday, June 10th at 6:30 p.m. at the CAA Centre in Brampton.

In order to attend, students must have paid the Ceremony Fee on SchoolCash Online. 

Graduation Gowns:
Graduation caps and gowns are included in the Ceremony Fee. Distribution of gowns will occur on Monday, May 25th by class. Classes will be called down to the front foyer throughout the day to pick up their gown package. Students must remember to wear their cap and gown at the ceremony on June 10th. 

Commencement Caps:
As we approach the graduation ceremonies on June 10th  we have had some questions about students decorating their graduation caps. Students who wish to do so may express their creativity and individuality in ways that are appropriate, respectful, and inclusive. Please ensure that decorations are non-political, non-offensive, and free of any harmful or inappropriate imagery or language.  If you have any questions about this, please contact an administrator.

Attire:
Students must wear their graduation cap and gown, which covers past the knees. The CAA Centre is climate controlled; however, students and families/guests are encouraged to dress smart casual.

Arrival at Ceremony:
Students must arrive at Gate 3 at 5:45 p.m. Parents and guests will enter at Gate 1. Students are asked to leave personal belongings with their families so they do not bring them on stage. 

Seating and Parking:
There are no tickets required for the ceremony. The CAA Centre has a seating capacity of over 5,000 and will accommodate all families and guests comfortably. Ample free parking is available on site.  

Accessible Seating:
If you require accessible seating for mobility issues, please contact Laura Everett  at everettla@hdsb.ca or 905-877-6966 ext 214 no later than May 29 Accessible seating for guests and one caregiver is available. 

Flowers:
Flowers will be available for purchase the night of the ceremony. If you wish to pre-order your flowers to secure colour preference, please visit Grad Flowers to place your order. They will be available for pick up at the CAA Centre.

Location and Directions:
Please accommodate for rush hour traffic to Brampton. 

CAA Centre - Sports and Entertainment Complex
7575 Kennedy Rd S
Brampton, ON
L6W 4T2

Getting to the CAA Centre:

• From the 407 – take highway 410 North to Steeles Ave. Make a left on Steeles, to Kennedy Rd. Make a left on Kennedy Rd. (third set of lights from the 410). The CAA Centre is located roughly 2 kms south of Steeles Ave. on the left hand side

• From the 401 – take highway 410 North to Derry Rd. Make a left on Derry Rd. to Kennedy Rd. Make a right on Kennedy Rd. The CAA Centre is located roughly 2 kms north of Derry Rd. on the right hand side

• From the 403 – take highway 410 North to Derry Rd. Make a left on Derry Rd. to Kennedy Rd. Make a right on Kennedy Rd. The CAA Centre is located roughly 2 kms north of Derry Rd. on the right hand side

The Class of 2026 Celebration Ceremony is on Wednesday, June 10th 2026 beginning at 6:30pm at the CAA Centre in Brampton (7575 Kennedy Road South, Brampton, ON, L6W 4T2).

The fee for this event is $68.75 and allows for accommodation of all guests with plenty of parking. No tickets are required to attend the event. 

Students attending the event must:

1. Pay the Celebration Ceremony Fee on SchoolCash Online no later than April 30th, 2026
2. Order a Graduation Gown no later than March 27th, 2026

Graduation gowns will be picked up by students at GDHS in the weeks leading up to the ceremony. All students will keep their cap and gowns as a memento so they may take photos after the ceremony at their convenience

Flowers will be available for purchase at the ceremony. You may also pre-order your flowers to secure specific colour and bouquet choice for pickup at the ceremony. You may order this through the third party vendor The Commencement Group.

GDHS distributes a number of awards and scholarships each year to graduating students.  Students are able to nominate themselves for consideration of these awards. Awards and scholarships are generously donated by community members and organizations.

The GDHS Awards Committee will review all graduating student nominations to determine these school-based award recipients. To nominate yourself for consideration, please complete the self-nomination form linked below.

This form will open in late winter 2026 and close Friday, April 10, 2026.

Successful students will be notified by HDSB email prior to the end of the school year and will be recognized during the Class of 2025 Celebration Ceremony. Some awards have financial prizes; winners of financial amounts will be expected to write a thank-you card to the community donor that provided the award. Contact information will be provided in the congratulations email.

If you have specific questions, please contact your Guidance Counsellor.

Grad photos have already taken place at GDHS. If you missed your opportunity at the school, contact Pegasus to schedule a grad photo sitting directly with the photographers.

Dear Grade 12 Students,

On Wednesday, June 10th the GDHS staff and administration will be hosting the GDHS Celebration for the Class of 2026.  As we begin planning for this exciting occasion, we would like to ensure all graduating students have the opportunity to apply to be the valedictorian. 

If you are interested in this important role in our celebration, please contact two GDHS teachers who will support you in your application.  Create a one-minute video sharing why you would be the ideal candidate to represent your graduating class.  If you are one of the shortlisted candidates, this video will be shared with the grade 12 student body, so you may choose to address them when you create the video.  A couple of key pieces to consider:

• Individual applications only (no team or partner applications will be considered)
• Keep video submissions to 60 seconds - anything beyond that will not be viewed

Please email your video to Mr. Oliver (olivers@hdsb.ca) and cc. your supporting teachers.  Applications for the role of Valedictorian are due by Friday, April 17th  at 9:00 p.m.

The list of short listed candidates and details on how to vote will be shared on Tuesday, April 21st.

We look forward to hearing about your positive contributions and experiences over this past school year.  Best of luck!

Students and families can pre-order their 2025-2026 school yearbook today! Yearbooks will be available beginning October 2026.

April 2026

Dear GDHS Student/Guest and parent/guardians,

GDHS will be hosting its annual prom and we are happy to be celebrating this milestone with you! This year’s theme is “Enchanted Night ” and it promises to be an evening of fun and great memories. 

Please read the following information carefully.

Prom is being held at the Mississauga Convention Centre, 75 Derry Road W (at Hurontario), Mississauga on Thursday, May 21, 2026. The doors will open at 6:00 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7:15 followed by dancing until 10:30 p.m. 

Tickets for prom will be available for purchase on CASHLESS starting April 13th until April 27th. The cost per ticket is $90.  ALL TICKETS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.  All students and all guests must complete a student behaviour contract for each ticket purchased.  Students planning on attending prom, regardless of age, need to complete a Behaviour Contract (linked below) as this information will be required in case of an emergency.  If your guest changes prior to prom, you must inform the office and complete a new contract for the new guest. Past students who are currently on the GDHS trespass list are not permitted to attend. 

When selecting seating you must show proof of ticket purchase and submit your completed Behaviour Contract to Ms. Menka in the library .  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Laura Everett, Admin Assistant, or Mercedes Carli, Vice Principal, in the main office.

We look forward to sharing this evening of celebration with you!

-Your GDHS Admin Team

As of February 14, 2026 students who are not returning for semester 2 will lose access to the HDSB Network and Google Workspace for Education applications, data, and email. Note this includes both Gmail and Drive. 

IMPORTANT:  If you have used your HDSB email when applying for post secondary, resume development, job applications, etc., you will need to update your information and change it to a personal email address before access to your HDSB account is lost

 To retain your Google Workspace data please see one of the options below:

• Transfer email and Drive files to a personal Google Account using Transfer Your Content - see Transfer their content 
  • Personal Gmail accounts only have 15 GB free drive space
  • All files in your My Drive will count toward your quota 
  • Archive data using Google Takeout
• The traditional Takeout is also available to create an archive of all their data in Google Workspace. 

This will enable you to easily retain your email, essays, resumes, science projects, and any other files stored on Google Drive before access has been removed to your HDSB account.

This must be completed by February 14, 2026.