The 2019 Mountain View County citizenship award recipients have shown outstanding commitment and contributions to their schools and the community at large, says Reeve Bruce Beattie.
“This year we have five very deserving recipients,” he said during last week’s council meeting. “I’m so impressed by what these people accomplish during their high school years. It gives pretty good hope for what is coming in the future.”
The annual awards are presented to Grade 12 students for their work in their respective schools and communities.
Biography information on each student, cited below, was presented during the council meeting.
• Jillian Taylor Klys is a student at Cremona School. She has been involved in the West Carstairs 4-H Beef club in market steer, carcass, beef female project, and market lamb. She has helped plan workshops for younger 4-H members and help them with their projects.
She has been a volunteer at the Didsbury Hospital continuing care unit, where her role has been mealtime host and contributed more than 100 volunteer hours.
She has applied to a bachelor of science – nursing school program with plans to work as a labour and delivery nurse.
• Ashley May Stevenson is a student at Carstairs’ Hugh Sutherland School. She has been involved in singing and dancing at her school, having attended music school in Carstairs for 11 years before joining the Young Canadians entertainment group, the Show Company and the Airborne Dance Centre.
As part of the school’s leadership program she has been involved in organizing the collection of food bank donations, student car show, and planning the student vote event during the provincial election.
She has been actively involved in local politics, volunteering for Senator Ted Morton, MP Blake Richards, MP Earl Dreeshen, and MLA Nathan Cooper.
She plans to study political science and economics at the University of Alberta before going to law school.
• Lacey Jade Newsome is a Didsbury High School student. Leading a healthy lifestyle has always been a large part of her life from growing up on the family farm and gardening, to involvement in sports throughout her childhood.
She plans to become a registered nurse and work at one of the local hospitals.
“Remaining in this area allows her to stay near her family and to promote the maintenance of personal health. Lacey intends to support the local sports teams through coaching and spectating, in addition to working in health care.”
• Dahlia Adele Erick is an Olds High School student. She has been a part of the independent learning program at her school.
Beyond school, work and hockey, she spends most of her spare time reading and doing personal studies in neuroscience, marine biology and psychology.
She plays hockey on a midget girls' team, as well as coaching beginners' hockey and working as a referee for the past three years.
“Her volunteer time at the Olds Elementary School involves individual reading skills with children and helping the teachers to organize classes.”
She has been accepted to Acadia University in Nova Scotia to pursue psychology in the arts.
• Noah Rowe is an Olds Koinonia Christian School student. He has been involved in many volunteer activities in his school, church and camp from a young age.
“He has worked as the head coach at the Zion Church basketball camp this past summer and is described as an eager and positive leader.”
His future plans are to work for a semester before enrolling at either Calvary Bible Chapel College or Kauai Bible College.
• Shayeln Meghan Scott is a Sundre High School student. She has been involved with Bergen 4-H for nine years and has also been involved in volunteer work, including the Santa’s Anonymous food drive.
“Shayelyn was an active participant in the May Queen fundraiser at the school and has participated in the event for the past four years. She is a community-minded individual and will use her 4-H skills to be successful in the future.
She will be attending Olds College’s agricultural management course.
Each recipient receives $500 under the citizenship award program.
