Skip to content

Port Alberni friends wrap up high school on stage as MCs

Grace Dewar and Caiden Meyer are the masters of ceremonies for the ADSS graduation
29481632_web1_220622-AVN-ADSS-Grad-MCs-alberni-1_1
Caiden Meyer and Grace Dewar are the masters of ceremonies for the 2022 ADSS graduating class. (ELENA RARDON / ALBERNI VALLEY NEWS)

Grace Dewar and Caiden Meyer are no strangers to the stage.

The Alberni District Secondary School (ADSS) graduates are both multi-instrumentalists (Dewar plays piano, flute and saxophone, while Meyer plays saxophone, flute and piccolo) who have been involved in the school band together since Grade 8. They both also had roles in the drama department’s recent production of Annie the Musical—Meyer as an actor, and Dewar as the director.

Now the pair will be taking the stage for the final time in their high school career as co-hosts of the 2022 ADSS graduation.

Dewar and Meyer were selected as masters of ceremonies by a class vote after they pleaded their case with a skit at a school assembly, complete with lights and props.

“We put on an act to show how we could make ourselves entertaining,” explained Meyer.

The two friends have been involved in a number of extra-curricular activities around the school for the past five years, from Totem to grad council. They even campaigned for Totem Spirit together. Meyer was selected as this year’s Totem Spirit winner, with Dewar as his campaign manager.

“We’ve been a pair for everything,” said Meyer.

“We knew we wanted to do this together, too,” said Dewar. “We thought we could do a decently entertaining job.”

For Meyer, winning Totem Spirit was one of the highlights of his high school career—especially since he was representing the school band and representing the school’s LGBTQ+ community.

“Having everyone charge at me, having my friends surround me after my name was called—that was pretty special,” said Meyer. “There was so much joy, especially since there was no Totem last year.”

For Dewar, directing the school production of Annie was her personal highlight.

“We sold out our first show, so that was a really positive experience,” she said.

This will be the first time in two years that Alberni District Secondary School graduates will be able to celebrate together in person. Both the 2020 and 2021 ceremonies took place virtually, instead. This year, graduation will be split up into three events on two days, so Dewar and Meyer will be hosting the same ceremony three different times.

They’re definitely up for the challenge.

“We have a lot of jokes planned,” said Meyer. “And some jabs at our teachers.”

“We might throw some props in,” Dewar added. “We want to make it more lighthearted, because we know it’s going to be an emotional event.”

After graduation, Dewar plans to study psychology at the University of British Columbia, while Meyer will be headed to the University of Victoria to study music. He is hoping to eventually become a music teacher.

In the meantime, both students are planning to soak in the last few days with the classmates they’ve gotten to know so well over the past five years.

“We want to have fun with them for the last couple days,” said Meyer.



Elena Rardon

About the Author: Elena Rardon

I have worked with the Alberni Valley News since 2016.
Read more