And this year’s award goes to…

 

By Laura Bohnert

On Friday, October 14, the new Onoway Jr/Sr High School (OJSH) held its very first Awards Night.

Current students and graduates of the past year filled OJSH’s new gym in a ceremony that recognized their past academic successes with awards of achievement.  The awards are intended to recognize and inspire students to strive for success, both academically and amongst their community.

The ceremony featured last year’s students, from grades 8 to 12, who received awards for outstanding effort, academic honours, citizenship awards, honours awards in various subjects, the Michael Malowany Memorial Award, and recognition awards that included highest academic averages, Outstanding Aboriginal Student awards, music awards, art awards, work experience awards, registered apprenticeship program awards, special projects awards, industrial education and mechanics awards, sports awards, and other special awards like the Governor General’s award.

It was a full night, garnered by the enthusiasm of faculty, students, and family members alike, all of whom had come to celebrate the varying skills, talents, and successes of OJSH’s students.

Awards ceremonies such as this one are important to students as well as communities.  Not only do some of these awards hold a financial value that can be put towards furthering students’ success and endeavours, but it is also an important opportunity for students and community members to recognize the hard work that is being done within the school.

Students gain an opportunity to recognize their own accomplishments alongside the accomplishments of their peers, and that is particularly important for those receiving awards outside the categories of sports and academia—categories that are often overlooked in an academic setting.

It’s an important confidence-building opportunity that can teach students the value of their skills, no matter where they fall within the curriculum, and that plays a significant role in helping them discover how to apply those skills to the world outside of the academy.

Whitecourt Press would like to congratulate all of the students who were honoured at this past awards ceremony, as well as those who continue to work hard to learn, develop, and apply their skills, whatever those might be.