Brooks Secondary Grade 12 Awards and Scholarship Night
This past Thursday, Brooks Secondary held an awards and scholarship night to recognize and celebrate student achievements in the qathet School District. A total of 49 Grade 12 qathet students received scholarships, thanks to the generous support of over 40 local organizations, who collectively awarded just over $170,000 worth of scholarships. Special thank you to the Powell River Community Foundation, which oversees the Ruth & Russell Jenkins Memorial Scholarship, who donated a total of $21,000 split into 7 separate scholarships at $3,000 each.
Three major awards were also presented: the Pauline Galinski, Max Cameron, and Herb Marrion. Each award includes a financial scholarship of $500 to support their post-secondary education. We had the opportunity to connect with this year’s recipients. Read what they had to say below!
Hope Alescio, Recipient of the Pauline Galinski Award
What award did you receive?
“I received the Pauline Galinski Award, which is for leadership and school spirit. You had to be nominated, so it felt really cool that someone noticed what I’d done without me asking. They noticed my service hours, involvement in school and the community, and the way I support my peers. It made me feel proud.”
What does this scholarship mean to you?
“It means a lot because it opens more opportunities with scholarship money. It can help pay for a laptop and books and lets my parents’ education fund go further.”
What’s next for you?
“Next year, I’m doing the Kaleo program on the Island. It’s a mix of outdoor leadership, service work, and first-year university courses, so I’ll get both credits and life experience. Later, I’m hoping to transfer those into a psychology degree at Columbia.”
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to younger students?
“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that worrying about tests and grades can take away from what really matters. School is so much more than an A or a B. It’s the relationships that make it meaningful.”
Reed Worthen, Recipient of the Max Cameron Award
What award did you receive?
“I received the Max Cameron Award. You have to be nominated by peers and it’s for outstanding school spirit through service, including over 100 hours of volunteer work. I’ve been really involved with youth restorative action and the environmental club. This year we did a lot of outreach with elementary schools, including eco gatherings and creating curriculum around conflict, communication, and understanding others through activities.”
What does this scholarship mean to you?
“I’m heading to the University of Victoria to pursue a double major in environmental studies and geography. I’d like to get into environmental consulting and urban planning. It’s likely just the start of my education, so scholarships are really helpful in easing the transition and taking away some of the financial stress so I can focus on academics. Growing up in a small town, I’ve always had a strong connection to nature, and through my science and geography classes I’ve come to see how important environmental justice is. The more I learn, the more I feel like it’s the right field for me.”
What's something you're really proud of?
“I think the connections I’ve made with my entire grade are what I’m most proud of. We’ve really come together as a community, just enjoying time with each other. I’m also proud of the work our environmental club has done, like hosting two clothing swaps and donating the extras back to the community.”
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to younger students?
“My advice is to get involved. It’s not the classes that make school interesting, it’s what you do with your spare time.”
Eleanor Winchell, Recipient of the Herb Marrion Award
What award did you receive?
“I received the Herb Marrion Award, which recognizes sportsmanship along with a combination of service, athletics, and academics.”
What does this scholarship mean to you?
“I’m using the money that came with it to help cover tuition at the University of Victoria next year, where I’ll be studying engineering, probably civil, but I haven’t fully decided yet. My aunt actually received the same award when she graduated, so that made it even more meaningful.”
What's something you're really proud of?
“One of my biggest accomplishments was qualifying for the cross-country mountain biking world championships last summer. I’m also really proud of my commitment to cross-country running and mountain biking. This spring, I led and coached the biking team and helped get a lot more girls involved. It was about making a safe space in school clubs, and I want to keep pursuing that.”
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to younger students?
“My advice is to take advantage of all the opportunities you have with school teams and clubs. You should do things outside of just schoolwork.”
Congratulations to every student who received a scholarship, and we wish everyone all the best in their future endeavours!