The Governor General’s Academic Medal recipients for the 2023-24 school year were announced and celebrated at the October meeting of the Ƶ.
Recognizing the outstanding scholastic achievements of high school students who graduated with the highest grade point average, it’s considered the most prestigious award one can earn while attending a high school in Canada. The Governor General’s Academic Medal was created more than 150 years ago in 1873.
Here are the speeches delivered by the students’ school administrators at the Board’s public meeting.
Isabelle Trenton, École Alpha
École Alpha Secondary School is delighted to share that Isabelle Trenton is the recipient of the Governor General’s Award for the 2023-24 school year. Isabelle not only graduated top of her class, but also received the French Immersion Dual Dogwood. Described by her teachers as one of the most thoughtful, reflective, and compassionate students they’ve ever taught, Isabelle consistently went beyond expectations, driven by her genuine curiosity and love of learning.
Isabelle is also recognized for her passionate commitment to social justice and equity, values that she consistently demonstrated in her actions and interactions with others. Her ability to connect with people and find common ground speaks to her empathy and insight. Teachers frequently describe her as perceptive, thoughtful, and curious, with a unique ability to relate to those around her.
In addition to her academic excellence, Isabelle embodies the qualities of a lifelong learner—someone who is not only dedicated to her own growth but also to making a positive impact in the world. It is no surprise that she has been recognized with this esteemed award, as she truly represents the ideals of leadership, integrity, and commitment to the betterment of society.
Isabelle is currently enjoying her first year at UBC, where she is studying Sciences and French. She would like to thank all the teachers at École Alpha, especially Mr. Dubé, Mr. Gibney, Mrs. McChesney, and Ms. Sawatsky. Congratulations, Isabelle, on this well-deserved honour!
~ Vice-Principal Liliane de Oliveira
Charlotte Johannes, Burnaby Central
It is my pleasure to introduce Charlotte Johannes as the Governor General Award winner for Burnaby Central Secondary School for 2023-24 school year. Charlotte is an exceptional academic student who also possesses outstanding interpersonal skills and is fully deserving of this prestigious award. To help further describe Charlotte, I asked a few of her teachers for some insight. They sent me the following:
Cindy Uhren, her Law teacher, describes Charlotte as, “Intellectually gifted and meticulous in her work habits, Charlotte excelled in Law 12. Also stating, “Wow… This is so exciting; she was an amazing student in my class.”
Kate Ronald her English teacher shared, “Charlotte is an incredibly well-rounded individual: she is kind, intelligent, has a great sense of humour, and shows genuine empathy and care for others.”
And Graham Hendry her Student Government teacher replied, “Charlotte was a thoughtful, detail- oriented and well-organized student who was passionate about making a meaningful contribution to her school community. Her kind-natured demeanor was well received by her peers, and she showed incredible leadership skills when problem-solving various scenarios that arose at our events. As well, she was able to model and mentor the younger students in Student Government.”
During her grad year at Burnaby Central, Charlotte was involved in Student Government as well as Grad Council. She was a valued member of those important volunteer committees and throughout her five years at Central she formed so many great relationships with teachers and other students.
Needless to say, Charlotte is not only an extremely well-rounded student but also had a keen desire to give back and make her small corner of the world, a better place! Currently, Charlotte is studying a joint major of Criminology and Psychology at Simon Fraser University. She is a well-deserved recipient of the SFU Undergraduate Scholars Entrance Scholarship, which covers tuition and fees for all four years. After that, Charlotte plans to study law or forensic psychology. I am confident that whatever Charlotte chooses in the future she will be beyond successful! We wish her all the best and will be excited to hear about all of her successes in the years ahead as a proud Burnaby Central alumnus… once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat!”
~ Principal Tim Wozney
Jeremy Tam, Burnaby Mountain
I am proud to introduce Jeremy Tam as the recipient of the Governor General’s Award for Burnaby Mountain Secondary School. As with all the young people being recognized tonight, Jeremy is an exceptional student. During his time at Mountain, he earned an average of 99% in his courses including 100% – with an accompanying exam score of 5 – in all 7 of his Advanced Placement courses. In doing so, he earned recognition as both an AP Scholar with Honor and an AP Scholar with Distinction. Jeremy was also the recipient of our Top Student award in both Math and Science.
What stands out, even more than Jeremy’s many academic accomplishments, is the way he is regarded by staff and peers at our school. When informed that Jeremy was the recipient of this award, the common response from teachers was “I can’t imagine a more deserving winner!” When asked to share some thoughts on Jeremy as a student, they were quick to respond with a long list of memories and highlights. Some specific comments that stood out to me include that:
Jeremy is an avid learner with a deep desire to improve.
He is deep and insightful. His ability to phrase his thoughts in a clear, concise manner is second to none.
One of the hardest-working and most diligent students I’ve taught.
An excellent student and person who always goes above and beyond, whatever the task.
He is creative and innovative. In Grade 9, he developed the most amazing graphing project we have seen. To this day, I still show it to people as an example whenever I get the chance.
A helpful and supportive mentor. Jeremy always volunteered to help in ways that positively impacted his classmates and the learning environment.
As reflected by these comments, Jeremy has left his mark on our school community. He is a wonderful representation of the hard work, passion, dedication and innovation we encourage and strive to support in Burnaby schools.
When asked about his time at Burnaby Mountain, Jeremy mentioned that he fondly remembers excelling academically and feels that he owes his success to his amazing teachers and an always competitive, yet supportive, school community. He is most proud of making a positive impact on those around him. Jeremy is currently pursuing his passion by studying computer science at the University of Toronto.
Congratulations Jeremy!
~ Principal David Rawnsley
Charis Chang, Burnaby North
I am proud to recognize Charis Chang as the 2024 Governor General Award recipient for Burnaby North. Charis was an exceptionally well-rounded student and role model at North. Ms. Mihic, our Excel Program Department Head, shared that ‘Charis loved learning and pursuing a variety of passions at North. Her interest in learning ranged from Art/Metal/Jewelry Elective courses to AP Science Courses. Whether it be a self-led project around sustainable engineering with the UBC Stem Leadership Program or developing a foster home program for stray cats, Charis always demonstrated a growth mindset and desire to make a positive impact on her community.’
When I spoke to Charis about her time at North, she commented that in addition to moving into a new building and making connections at the school, she enjoyed working as DSAC representative as well as with our Math Buddies and Library Club.
Charis is currently pursuing her post-secondary studies in Engineering at Queens University in Ontario. She received a Schulich Leader Scholarship at Queens as well as a BC Excellence Award.
I also want to acknowledge Charis’ parents, Ingrid and Leo Chang who are in attendance tonight supporting Charis’ recognition.
Congratulations Charis from all of us at Burnaby North!
~ Principal Curtis Hodgson
Yi Zhong, Burnaby South
While at Burnaby South, Yi Zhong was an incredible academic student. Her teachers have commented on how she was a deep thinker and easily grasped all the information that was being taught. She was the top student in all her Advanced Placement (AP) courses, wrote 8 AP exams and received a score of 5 on all of them (5 being the highest mark possible). Her efforts garnered the titles of AP Scholar with Distinction and AP Capstone Diploma. Yi not only excelled in the sciences, but also thrived in humanities courses. Yi achieved an overall academic average of 98% amongst all her grade 11 and 12 courses and scored 100% in eight of her senior level courses. Yi was named to the Principal’s List and was a recipient of South’s Honour cord.
When reminiscing back at her Burnaby South Rebel experience, Yi is super grateful for all the supportive teachers that made learning enjoyable and the wide offering of AP courses. The AP courses enabled her to learn more content, improve study habits and allowed Yi to overcome her fear of large end of course examinations. With Yi’s participation in the AP Capstone program, she was able to do research on how to mitigate forest fires in BC, how to improve the resiliency of salmon in BC and whether log booms on the Fraser River negatively affected eelgrass. Her research focus was centered around how to best balance contemporary techniques, Indigenous knowledge, and new technology to create a future where the natural world and humans can continue to coexist. It was also through the Capstone program that Yi finally overcame her terrifying fear of public speaking!
Yi was offered scholarships to four major Canadian universities and in the end decided to enroll in University of Toronto’s (U of T) Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Science. Her hope is to be able to do more research in the future. She is thankful that her education at Burnaby South also allowed her to be awarded with U of T’s $10,000 entrance scholarship. The funds from this award, along with Yi also receiving the Artona community scholarship will help her alleviate the financial burden of her university education. I have no doubt that she will be making positive contributions at U of T, just as she has made positive and lasting contributions to Burnaby South. We are very proud to call Yi a Burnaby South Rebel, and our 2024 Governor General Award winner!
~ Principal Effie Aadland
Aryn Zhang, Byrne Creek
I am so pleased to recognize Aryn Zhang as Byrne Creek Community School’s Governor General Award winner for 2023-2024. Aryn was a remarkable student in so many ways during her years at Byrne Creek.
Aryn was remarkable for her academic achievements. She earned a 99% average in all her grade 11 and grade 12 classes, the highest average amongst all students. Her classes included AP Physics 1 and 2, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, and AP Biology.
Aryn was also remarkable for her contributions beyond the classroom. Aryn served as Vice President of Byrne Creek’s very well-known and longstanding Leo Club. The Leo Club organizes significant community and school-based events throughout the year that are attended by hundreds of people.
One of Aryn’s favourite teachers, Ms LaBrash, her AP Physics teacher, says this about Aryn:
“Aryn is a tremendously thoughtful learner who is currently pursuing a science degree at UBC. Aryn is particularly enticed by physics, where the yet to be answered questions are exciting to her, not intimidating as they are to many. In grade 12, Aryn showed her skilled capacity to share concise understandings of complex concepts in physics”.
Congratulations, Aryn. The staff at Byrne Creek are proud of you and are confident that you will continue to excel at UBC.
~ Principal Ben Paré
Ervin Santiago, Cariboo Hill
Ervin encompasses the qualities of a Governor General Academic Medal recipient. Being part of a community school, Ervin is a dedicated École Cariboo Hill Charger because of his academic excellence and his dedication to extracurricular activities, leadership and sense of community mindedness.
In his Grade 11 and 12 year, Ervin took a total of 53 full-time courses, achieving an average of 4.0 GPA and a 98% average in his top academic course load, most of which were Advanced Placement and Honours courses in Science, Math and Computer Programming. He was also on the Honour Roll and Principal’s List every term of his career at École Cariboo Hill Secondary for his exceptional work habits and dedication to academic success. Ervin received numerous awards and accolades for his dedication to academic excellence, including yearly Above and Beyond awards, and is a three-time award-winning Microsoft Office Certificate holder.
In addition to his impressive academic achievements, Ervin demonstrated strong interpersonal skills as a peer mentor, working with junior students in developing strong academic skills through our mentorship program. He co-founded both the École Cariboo Hill Secondary Debate Club and the Valorant E-Sports Club, where he showcased strong leadership skills. In the Debate Club, he motivated students to explore complex political topics, while in the E-Sports Club, he engaged students in gamesmanship and sportsmanship through tournaments across the province. Ervin was an avid Senior Badminton team player and was a contributing member of our Athletics Council.
In the community, Ervin has donated his time selflessly by volunteering with the Burnaby “Don’t Go Hungry” food program which serves over 230 people every week. Among his responsibilities of coordinating, organizing and distributing food, Ervin spent time with the families speaking to them, finding out about their life circumstances and helping them find solutions. His empathy and kindness always shine through.
Ervin is currently enrolled and attending the British Columbia Institute of Technology in the Computer Science Technology department and plans on pursuing a career as a Computer Systems Software developer and hoping to one day have his own cybersecurity and software business.
~ Principal Chris Sandor
Tanya Liu, École Moscrop
Tanya Liu encompasses the many qualities of a Governor General Academic Medal recipient. In Tanya’s time at École Moscrop, she dedicated much of her efforts to her school community and community-at-large. In addition to academic excellence, she was active in extracurricular activities, demonstrating her many leadership qualities.
In her Grade 11 and 12 years, Tanya completed a total of 124 credits in full-time courses, achieving a 4.0 GPA average in her top academic course load, many of which being Advanced Placement courses. Having consistently achieved Principal’s List standing, Tanya was also a Gold Cord recipient, the recipient of Moscrop’s Business Education AP Microeconomics 12 Top Student Award, and the recipient of Moscrop’s Scholastic Achievement Award.
Tanya’s academic passions garnered recognition in community spaces. On her list of many achievements includes second place standing in Western Canada for a STEM Fellowship Big Data Challenge competition and national standing at a Fermat Mathematics competition, which led to an all-expense paid math workshop opportunity at Waterloo University. The list continues with Tanya’s participation in SHAD, an immersive Canadian STEAM summer enrichment program, Science World’s Future Science Leader program, as well as Highschool Science Week at the Heart and Lung Innovation Centre at St. Paul’s Hospital to explore molecular biology techniques.
In addition to Tanya’s clear sense of purpose, it is apparent that Tanya also values her community. Outside of academics, Tanya gave back to her community through co-chairing the Deer Lake Youth Council, hosting workshops, fundraisers, as well as other community festivals and events, and mentoring elementary school-aged participants through the Math Challengers Club.
Tanya is currently attending Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where she is studying Molecular and Cellular Biology as well as Applied Mathematics and Statistics. She aspires to enter the field of Medicine upon graduation.
Congrats to Tanya and her achievement of Ecole Moscrop’s 2024 Governor General Academic Medal.
~ Principal Andy Chin
Posted October 2024