And the award goes to…

Hilltop High School staff held its Annual Academic Awards recently in the auditorium. The ceremony publicly acknowledged academic achievement from the previous school year. Several dignitaries were on hand including Woodlands Mayor Jim Rennie, Whitecourt Deputy Mayor Darlene Chartrand, and Northern Gateway board member Jim Govenlock.

 

Seventy-two individual student awards were presented with several students winning multiple times. Current grade 12 student Etienne De Jongh took home several certificates from his grade 11 year including Honours, French 20/30, Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Science, Highest Academic Average of the Year, and the Senior High Student of the Year. Mikayla Bakker was also a repeat awardee with 10 awards to her credit following a hardworking grade 12 year.

 

Assistant Principal Lesia Hleck was the Mistress of Ceremonies, guiding teachers through the long list of subjects as they each came forward to acknowledge their students.

 

During his speech to the students and parents in attendance, Mayor Rennie expressed his admiration and pride in those before him. Rennie attended Hilltop as a youth and was thrilled to take part in the ceremony, speaking at length about one of the many exciting advantages available to students. “We’ve got some advantages here in Whitecourt and Woodlands County that kids don’t have in other places. These advantages come from the hard work of the trustees and the superintendent of Northern Gateway from your principal and teachers, and from the community coming together along with the businesses; and that’s our apprenticeship program. You’re making money while you find out what career path you want to take. I cannot imagine these are available to kids who are growing up in Edmonton or Calgary and if that gives us an advantage, then finally we’ve found something that’s unique to us that we can capitalize on and make sure we have the best educations we can.”

 

In his closing remarks, Mayor Rennie talked about always trying your hardest, “It’s important that we stay focused on being the very best. The future leaders of the world aren’t going to be the people who came in second place and they aren’t going to be the young people who stay at home on their couch and wonder when the world is going to get handed to them. It’s going to be the ones who work hard and get the highest of whatever it is they are trying to achieve. Tonight we get to celebrate with you, the true achievers of our community.”

 

Congratulations to each and every student who received an award. Your hard work and dedication to your academics will undoubtedly lead you into an adventure of lifelong learning.