Arts Achievement Award

Arts Achievement 11-17 Winners: Jonas Giese & Jaslyn Jolicoeur

Jonas Giese and Jaslyn Jolicoeur both tied for Arts Achievement in the 11-17 category. Jaslyn couldn’t attend the ceremony, so her grandmother accepted the award on her behalf.

Jonas Giese is currently attending LCVI and is devoted to both drama and music. He recently played Professor Plum in a local adaptation of Clue, and multiple roles in his school’s Freaky Friday production. He’s also actually advocated for LCVI’s different arts programs. In terms of music, Jonas teaches friends and peers the guitar and bass, he’s writing and producing his own tunes, and is a member of the band Anthrophobia. 

He also planned and hosted Clash of the Chords, a youth musical showcase held at the Victoria Park Armouries. This event was where young local musicians could perform in front of an audience, often for the first time. 

Jaslyn Jolicoeur balances an intense training schedule as a full-time vocational dance student. She not only studies piano at a very high level but teaches younger students, showing leadership and a commitment to sharing her knowledge. She also plays the flute for the Kawartha Lakes Youth Concert Band and has her eyes on the Royal Academy of Dance and Royal Conservatory of Music. She booked exams at both places. 

She played Schroeder in You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, where she performed demanding live piano accompaniment well above her grade level. She’s also been involved in A Christmas Story The Musical, and her high school’s production of Freaky Friday.

Arts Achievement 18-24 Winner: Neo Whitehead

If you ask any teacher at I.E. Weldon about Neo Whitehead, they can only speak on how creative they are. Though Neo celebrates their art, they also celebrate the art of others. They have their very own business selling art, and they have also presented their art in the Kawartha Art Gallery and at the Kindred Coffee Bar. Any guest can walk into Kindred and see their designs. 

One of their works was selected by the local Art Gallery for an exhibition, another one they donated to the local Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) office, and they donated their earnings from another one to the local Humane Society. 

Not only is Neo an experienced artist who hones their creativity to create original art in countless forms and mediums, Neo uses their passion and talent in art to convey meaningful, important messages and support their community.

Outstanding Worker Award

Arts Achievement 11-17 Winner: Abeni Crandell

Abeni Crandell started her own tutoring business when just starting high school. Whether it was in reading or French, you can ask any one of the parents and they will say Abeni was the best tutor. 

During this time, Abeni also volunteered at Ross Memorial Hospital in various departments – Continuing care, Diagnostic Imaging, Day Surgery, Emergency Department, everything. She put in over 150 hours of community service. She could always be relied on and always eager and willing to help. 

She now has not one, but two jobs, at Adelaide Place and Income Tax Plus. At Adelaide Place, she works the dining area, helping the elderly with mealtime, and they love having her there. She was also a Link Leader at Weldon, and coach for the Lindsay Optimist Soccer Club for three years. 

Her dedication and work ethic stand out, demonstrated by her effort to balance multiple roles and responsibilities at the same time. 

Arts Achievement 18-24 Winner: Brooklyn Burdi

Brooklyn Burdi joined United Way HKL on a placement in September last year and made an immediate impact. 

During her time, she has stepped up and taken on extra responsibilities with event planning, promotions, social media, data collection, website updates and more. She created and led a Holiday Trivia Night which was “a great success”.  

When their campaign leader had to step away from their role on United Way’s organizing committee, Brooklyn enthusiastically stepped into the role. On their Coldest Night of the Year, which is the name of an outdoor fundraising event, she worked with other staff to set up and take down their start and finish locations, deliver coffee and hot chocolate to their rest stops, travel the route taking pictures, and she pitched in wherever she was needed. 

Unsurprisingly, several have commented about her maturity, pleasant nature, intelligence, and desire to work hard and learn in her job.

S.T.E.M. Award

S.T.E.M. 11-17 Winner: Jamie Jeffrey

Jamie is a part-time staff at Ampere’s Lindsay Makerspace. He helps run programs including Saturday Drop-Ins, After School Programming, Camps, Community Games Nights and Birthday Parties, most of which are centered around STEM Education. 

One example of his work in STEM is explaining concepts of coding and robotics to young learners at Ampere. He’s also a participant in what’s called the CANSAT program. It invites teams of Canadian secondary-school students to design and build a “CanSat” – a small psuedo-satellite which is the size of a can of pop. They are then flown up into the sky by about one kilometer, and on their way down can create data. Past examples include gas and pollution sensors, accelerometers, and even a deployable drone. No surprise, he’s also part of the robotics team at I.E. Weldon. 

Health & Wellness Champion Award

Health & Wellness Champion 11-17 Winner: Lucy Stephenson

From the age of four, Lucy Stephenson has participated in local girls’ hockey, figure skating and dance programs.  As a wider array of sporting opportunities became available to her, including badminton, tennis, cross country running, rugby and soccer, Lucy’s passion for sport and wellness persisted. She has a record of gold, silver and bronze places in Tennis, Track & Field & Hockey, in every single one of her years at Weldon. 

Also at Weldon, Lucy is an active member of the Weldon Athletic Union executive. Working collaboratively with other like-minded students, Lucy plans and facilitates events and activities for the entire student body, including the annual Terry Fox Run and the annual Weldon golf tournament. 

She is actively being recruited by numerous university and college track and field teams, all-the-while maintaining a 95% average in high school. 

Health & Wellness Champion 18-24 Winner: Grace Caffin

Grace Caffin became a Supervisor at BGC Summer camps, and her leadership skills were described as profound. She is known for her professionalism and the respect she shows for families, especially during difficult circumstances.  

Grace also does ballet and is active in the Lindsay Dance Studio. She was described as “one of the most beautiful dancers I have got to watch, growing up at the Academy Theatre.” 

She continued her love and passion for dance at the University of Alberta, where she joined the MOD Contemporary Dance Movement. Not only was she managing a difficult course load, but she would spend a lot of her free time in the dance studio. This supported her own commitment to health and wellness, and she continues to lead an active lifestyle to this day. Also, she will be the Camp Coordinator & Dance Instructor at the Triple Threat Theatre this upcoming Summer.

Resiliency Award

Resiliency 11-17 Winner: Maya Ellery

Maya Ellery has grown up with dyslexia. From an early age, reading and writing did not come easily to her, and tasks that seemed simple for others often required extra time, effort, and creative strategies. Rather than allowing these obstacles to discourage her, she made the conscious decision to confront them head-on and gave herself the goal of achieving honour-roll status. 

In the end, she met her goal. She has learned how to adapt, how to advocate for herself, and how to remain focused in the face of adversity, all while maintaining a positive attitude and a strong sense of purpose. Her perseverance has not only allowed her to meet her goals, but to exceed them.

Humanitarian Award

Humanitarian 11-17 Winner: Katherine Guan

Katherine Guan’s parents immigrated from China to Canada, and when she moved from Toronto to Lindsay, she witnessed how her classmates believed professional careers were reserved for “urban students” and she was compelled to show them that they, too, could dream beyond perceived limitations. 

She worked on various projects to support her fellow students, and eventually created VOICE, a club for social justice, which gave students the ability to advocate for causes they were passionate about. VOICE recently merged with the Green Advocates at Weldon to increase visibility and accessibility for students interested in social and environmental justice, and the Green Advocates afterward hosted a Valentine’s themed fundraiser for Cuddles for Cancer, a youth-run initiative that provides fleece blankets to cancer patients. 

Katherine has also served as the President of her school’s Model United Nations in Grades 11 and 12, her mission to ensure it was accessible to all students. These activities helped foster connections among grades 9 and 12 and helped students gain the confidence to speak publicly. 

Leadership Winner

Leadership 11-17 Winner: Ella Wilson

Over the course of her high school career, Ella Wilson has grown from a quiet and thoughtful participant into a confident and transformative leader. She has been described as an integral member of LCVI’s Student Administrative Council for several years and served as president this year. Under Ella’s guidance, the council has grown to its largest membership in recent years, with more than 30 active students.   

One of Ella’s most impactful initiatives was her leadership of the Great Grain Challenge, a board-wide campaign designed to raise awareness of food insecurity in our region. Ella independently coordinated the entire initiative at LCVI—organizing donation drives, promoting awareness, and mobilizing both students and staff. Thanks to her leadership, LCVI collected over 2,000 items, the highest total of any school in the board. 

During the holiday season, she organized LCVI’s Recycled Gift Wrapping Drive, a program that collected gently used wrapping supplies and recyclable materials so that students who might not otherwise have access could still participate in gift-giving. She then established a free gift-wrapping station for students.  

She also played a key role in organizing LCVI’s 12 Days of Giving campaign—an annual initiative where classes collect toiletry and self-care items for women and children in local shelters who have left abusive homes in search of safety and a fresh start. There’s so much she has done in a short amount of time.

Leadership 18-24 Winner: Kelsey Naismith

Kelsey Naismith was hired at the Kent st. McDonald’s when she was 16 and is now in a General Manager role. 

She has worked very hard to build her leadership skills. Her work ethic, motivation and commitment to the crew was described as exemplary. 

The younger crew respect her very much. She is always mentoring, coaching and motivating the crew to grow, and being open with them so they can be comfortable working there. Her leadership has proven to be a key success factor on a corporate level as well as in the community, with her commitment to planning and executing McHappy day for several years. She takes pride and care in her position and models what a leader should be.

BGC Club Spirit Winner

BGC Club Spirit 11-17 Winner: Avalon Loube

Avalon Loube was also our Guest Speaker for the night!

She makes everyone feel welcome and comfortable, whether she’s at BGC related events, or doing her job at Fenelon Falls’ Maryboro Lodge Museum. Avalon’s kind and caring personality comes across to everyone who meets her. 

When BGC was working to expand its offerings to Fenelon Falls, Avalon signed herself up for the Fenelon Falls Youth Council. With her other peers on the council moving onto post-secondary education, Avalon has continued to help shape the program and advocate for community support. Just last week, she brought an audience to tears at a fundraiser for The Loft.  

Ron Kennedy Award Winner

You may remember Abeni Crandell as the winner of our Outstanding Worker award in 11-17, who volunteered over 150 hours of work at Ross Memorial Hospital and tutored numerous children. She wants to go to Trent University for Kinesiology to become a physiotherapist. To her, physiotherapy is more than helping bodies heal- they help people find hope and strength again.  Whether she is supporting sick people at Ross, coaching with the Lindsay Optimist Soccer Club, or helping children learn French and English, she lives for compassion, and we applaud her take on life. 

Marcie Beall Scholarship Winner

You may remember Jonas Giese from Arts Achievement and Humanitarian. And something we haven’t talked about is he wishes to become a teacher. He’s currently enrolled at Trent University, and he hopes that this scholarship will help him in his goal to be an educator who is effective and compassionate, because let’s be honest. Having teachers who care about their children makes all the difference in their development.