Star student athletes were recognized for their achievements on the field and their role in promoting sport off it, with awards presented by Sport Aurora.
A crowd of young athletes, parents, and family members gathered in Aurora Town Park for the presentation on Thursday, July 18.
“This is where sports typically starts, in school. I was a high school teacher many, many years ago, but I was also a physical education teacher,” said Ron Weese, president of Sport Aurora and town councillor.
“So I really believe in the importance of school sport. Because school sport is a little different than club sports, there’s a lot of different attitudes about it, and I think it’s the best thing for kids to start out in sports.”
Weese thanked the schools who run sports teams and nominated athletes, as well as parents.
“You wouldn’t be here, physically, but also you wouldn’t be here without their support, so parents, I want to thank you.”
Now in its eighth year, the annual event recognizes the achievements of students from the York Region District School Board and the York Catholic District School Board.
These young athletes were celebrated not only for their individual performances but also for their role in promoting active participation in sports and inspiring their peers to stay active.
Also in attendance was Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill MP Leah Taylor Roy and Newmarket-Aurora MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy, who both congratulated the athletes for receiving the recognition.
“All the students, thank you for working so hard, because it takes work,” said Gallagher Murphy, MPP for Newmarket-Aurora.
The following students received awards:
St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School - Zara Clark and Xavier Dalla Rosa
St. Jerome Catholic Elementary School – Ava Wong, Jack Wong, Benjamin McArthur and Isla Teague
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Elementary School – Amelia Kapuscinski and Michael Gabriele
Holy Spirit Elementary School – Jason Iaconetti and Bianca Milani
Light of Christ Catholic Elementary School - Marco Battaglin
Aurora Heights Public School – Avery Vickers and Jordan Pelham
Northern Lights Public School – Fiona McClorey, Gavin Scott and Daniel Yoo
Rick Hansen Public School – Ryan Kong, Francesca Conrad
Devins Drive Public School – Owen Navarro, Nila Nouri and Arian Memari
Regency Acres Public School – Dylan Swan, Finell Tuccalay and Chez Gravina
Highview Public School – Jacob Hamilton
Cardinal Carter – Vanessa Veloso, Charlotte Kimens, Athan Miwa, Keilani Wetzel, Namdi Chinaka, Alexia Salapa and Ester Hassantari
Aurora High School – MacKenna Smith, Tristan Skupien and Dillon Cook
St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic High School – Maeve Butler, Grayson Butler, Simon Blas and Mikayla Young
Dr. G.W Williams Secondary School – Rehan Qureshi and Emma Rusu
Hartman Public School - Oliver Guevara, Juha Kim, Kaitlyn Mok and Danica Swift
