On Friday night, École Olds High School held its annual academic awards night.
It's a reward for all the hard work students have undertaken — and in the case of Grade 12s, for a whole 12 years of schooling.
Surely no one is more deserving of accolades than Rexelle Asis, the valedictorian this past spring.
As such, he received the school’s first-ever valedictorian scholarship, named after 2014 valedictorian Mitchell Ormann.
Ormann, an engineering student, passed away last fall.
To be chosen valedictorian, a student must have the highest average in their graduating class. Asis went one step further by scoring 100 per cent on the math 30 provincial diploma exam.
But his story gets even more astonishing.
Asis accomplished all that even though English is not his first language.
He and his family moved about 11,000 kilometres from the Philippines to Canada when he was in Grade 4 and to Olds when he was in Grade 7.
Asis overcame all that to be one of the school's most successful students.
On Friday night he received the Grade 12 highest academic standing and Governor General's medal. It goes to a Grade 12 student who has achieved the highest average in English 30-1, social studies 30-1, mathematics 30-1 as well as the highest science achievement in biology 30, chemistry 30 or physics 30.
The accomplishments of Rexelle Asis are proof of what can be accomplished if one works hard, has lots of determination — and let's admit it — lots of talent.
Congratulations to Rexelle and all those who received their awards.
