Organizers of Central Collegiate’s academic awards ceremony are celebrating its successful conclusion and believe the changes they made ensured more people could attend.
The program took place on Oct. 17 and saw more than 80 students receive an award or certificate for their work in the 2022-23 school year. Some of the notable awards included:
- The Moose Jaw Arts Guild Award to Mia Ye for her work in Grade 9 visual arts
- The Central Golden Jubilee Award to Judy Jin and Adalie Moore for their work in Grade 10 visual arts
- The Aden Cave Memorial Scholarship to Grace King and Alex Blondeau for their work in industrial arts in Grades 9 and 10, respectively
- The Moose Jaw Naturopathic Clinic French Immersion Award to Cassandre Paul-Hus, Drew Amell and Presley McLeod for their work in French immersion in Grades 9, 10 and 11, respectively
- The Scott Williamson Award to Presley McLeod for reaching full potential, exhibiting selflessness, having a strong character, exhibiting humility and having diverse interests
- The Distance Travelled Award to Shelby Shaw and Ethan Volk in Grade 9, William Affie-Ferguson and Brenton Armstrong in Grade 10 and Faith Bilendy and Daniel Johnson for being the most improved
- The Central Collegiate Golden Jubilee Award to Georgia Greenough for her outstanding contribution to the school
The Ron and Jane Graham Awards to Emily Lin, Alex Blondeau and Bryce Boughen for having the highest academic standing in Grades 9, 10 and 11, respectively
“We celebrated a whackload of our kids … 14 per cent of our kids (out of 619 enrolled) received an award,” said principal Candice Krawetz, who, along with vice-principal Kristy Soper, were the main organizers.
The school typically holds its awards ceremony in the evening, but that prevented the Prairie South Senior Band — a combination of all high school band students — from performing, Krawetz continued.
So, organizers held this year’s program in the morning, which was a good decision since more people attended — invites were sent to parents and recipients — and the band performed.
“Our band did phenomenal … . And our choir (was also great),” the principal said.
While Central is known for its arts programs and sports teams, it also has a solid reputation for its academic programming and learning, Krawetz added. That historical “tradition of excellence” is noticeable walking through the school halls, while rigour, grit and resiliency are all factors in students’ work ethic and their determination to do well.
This is Krawetz’s first year as school principal — she has been in education for 22 years and with Prairie South for six — while this is Soper’s third year as vice-principal. Putting together the ceremony was a new experience for both since the former is new to the building and the latter left that work to the previous principal.
“We figured it out as we went. It was a team effort,” said Soper.
It was a lot of work and a huge undertaking, Krawetz agreed with a laugh while deflecting most of the praise to her colleague. Yet, the day went smoothly, while the time and effort were worth it to celebrate the students.
It also helped that almost every teacher contributed in some way and didn’t need to be asked. That teamwork contributed to the event’s success.
“This is what we are here to do, and this is what we stand for. Academics is our job,” Krawetz added. “The rest is just the fun stuff.”
