The auditorium was packed at Chateauguay Valley Regional High School on October 26 as parents, families, and staff gathered to recognize the academic achievements of honour students from the 2022-2023 school year.
Deserving students were also presented with subject-area awards and prizes for leadership and perseverance. The evening marked the third time CVR has held such a ceremony, and the first since the end of the pandemic.
The masters of ceremony for the evening were CVR graduates Mackenzie Burns and Leah Summers, who offered some valuable words of advice and encouragement to those being honoured for their hard work at each grade level. Special guest Phyllis Wood of the CVR Educational Foundation also praised the students for their efforts, while appealing to parents and grandparents in attendance to support the foundation.
The students with the highest overall average in each grade level were then called to the stage. Charlie Jeuris, William Gallinger, Sarah Werenchuk, and Ava Jeuris were each presented with a small plaque and a $100 award provided by the CVR Educational Foundation in recognition of the students’ dedication to their studies.
One student per grade level was then recognized for their academic perseverance. Award winners Avery McColm, Denver Box, Sierra Bown, and Destiny Pelletier Clark were all nominated for this honour by a teacher who felt their sustained efforts deserved to be recognized. This was followed by the presentation of academic leadership awards to Hailey McAdam, Benjamin Bishop-Gay, Peyton Welburn, and Odin Wania.
Four students were then celebrated for best exemplifying the spirit of CVR during the previous school year. Addison Wallace, Avery Krause, and Victoria Godfree were each presented with a small plaque, while current grade 11 student Ava Jeuris was presented with the Lionel Upton Memorial Award for her school spirit.
The final award of the evening was then presented to current grade 9 student Gerry McAdam. The CVR faculty award recognizes the achievements of a student who has overcome personal adversity with courage and positivity while attending CVR. McAdam was nominated by teachers Sia Georgaklis and Marie-Eve Beaulieu, who recognized his insistence on participating in school life despite having been diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer in 2021. Still undergoing treatment, McAdam was described as a brave and courageous student who serves as a role model and example to the students and staff at the school.
The evening was capped by closing remarks by CVR vice-principals Sandra Grant and Sabrina Henderson before students and their families were invited to take photographs and celebrate outside the auditorium.
