17May2023 Service Above Self Awards

My name is Christy Dutka, the Communications Technology teacher at Arthur Voaden Secondary School. It is with great pleasure that I introduce grade 12 student; Aiden Martin, as the “Service Above Self” award recipient for 2023.

From the first day I met Aiden; his caring, consideration and respect for others was evident. As a new teacher at Arthur Voaden, I was blessed to have a student with such kindness and willingness to help his peers, and myself, adjust to new surroundings.

Aiden is alway quick to help others, offer advice, and I always appreciated his feedback and ideas on his learning in my classroom. Aiden is a veteran in the Communications classroom, and used his knowledge to provide great morning announcements. He is very comfortable in front of a camera, and his glowing personality and acting talent was well loved throughout the entire school. Aiden demonstrates high academic standards and this was proven through his work ethic and dedication to learning. His work was always exceptional, and completed with obvious care and attention.

Aiden cares about the social climate within the school by volunteering to take photos of clubs, teams and school events. He has always helped with the special olympics events at our school, proving his care for others and selflessness by making time to help when needed. He is always the first to offer a hand to any teacher or student without hesitation. 

On many occasions I have seen Aiden provide an ear to listen to others who may be struggling. I know that many of my colleagues agree that this award is well deserved by Aiden; as his humanism, amicable demeanor and wit is appreciated by everyone at AVSS.   

Antonia Platten is CECI’s E. Frank Sanders Service Above Self winner for 2023.  While Antonia is an outstanding student, her grade 12 average is 95%, it is her kindness, compassion, and willingness to give of herself that made her an obvious choice for this award.   

 

Antonia embodies what it means to be a Titan.  Over her time at CECI, she has participated in The Inside Ride, the annual Kam Jam tournament, school dances, and volunteering at the Grade 8 Open House. Antonia can always be counted on to participate in spirit days, dress up for Halloween, and wear her orange proudly at a school House Colour assembly. This year she was one of the founding members of the Business Club. Over her time at Central Elgin, she was also a member of the tennis team and the band. Antonia also represented CECI at the TVDSB Relationships First student conference this past August.

 

Antonia was an active and important member of CECI’s leadership class. Antonia’s reliability and willingness to step up resulted in her playing an important role in the planning and execution of the Terry Fox Carnival of Hope, Titans Through Time, and the Grade 9 BBQ. Antonia also demonstrated outstanding leadership when she organized the annual lip dub video for her major event.

 

Antonia’s involvement and leadership extends outside of her time at CECI through volunteer work. Antonia has actively sought out ways to make a difference in the St Thomas community. She currently volunteers at both the St Thomas Art Gallery and the St Thomas Library. She has also volunteered at Locke’s Public School, her former elementary school, by assisting with events run by the Parent Volunteer Association. Antonia has also volunteered her time to provide childcare so parents could attend Child and Family Services meetings.   

 

Below are Barbara, Student Allison Pimlatt and Teacher Amber Wadford (Parkside HS)

Over the past four years, Allie has been giving her time both behind and in front of the scenes, helping to build
a positive school culture and environment that’s safe for everyone at Parkside Collegiate.

As the Student Council VP External last year, and the Student Council President this year, Allie has spent
many hours planning and carrying out activities and events for our school community with the goal of creating
a feeling of inclusivity, safety and positivity. Over the past two years, she has been a leader when organizing
our Pride Month activities, making sure that we are sharing accurate information by consulting with the school’s
LGBTQ2s+ organization. Allie also organized the first school dance in 2 years that had the most grade 9 and
10 students we have ever had. This was such a great way to start the year and welcome in the grade 9s and
especially the grade 10s that had a very quiet grade 9 year. These dances are such positive events, bringing
in a lot of different students into one event, and she puts a lot of time into making sure they run well. Allie also
helped to organize a whole school fun day at the end of the 2021-2022 school year to help bring some joy and
celebration to the end of a school year that had felt the most normal in 2 years and bring together all of our
students. It was a fantastic day that had students dressing up, meeting new friends and celebrating a return to
having fun together. She has also been a main character putting together our annual pumpkin carving events,
spirit weeks, pep rallies and Remembrance Day Assemblies.

On the Parkside Stampeders Robotics team - the Thunderstamps - Allie has given a lot of time to the program
as the Sponsorship and Scouting captain. The Robotics program is an amazing program that gives students
the opportunity to compete in provincial and international competitions and build a variety of skills. As the
sponsorship and scouting captain, Allie was not front and centre during competitions, but she gave a lot of time
making sure that this program had what it needed to not only survive but thrive and her contributions made the
program even that much more successful and a place for all students to bloom.

Allie is an extremely hard worker, that has put in a lot of time over the past 4 years at Parkside to continue to
work towards a building that has space for all and events that all students can enjoy and participate in. Allie
leads with kindness and understanding and has set a great example for the student council members that
come behind her. Her willingness to give her time to our school is what made her a perfect candidate for the
Rotary Service Above Self award.