Recognizing student achievement is a necessity in pushing students to further success.
That’s the big reason behind ceremonies such as the annual junior and senior high awards presentations for Ponoka Secondary Campus (PSC) held recently. The junior high event was held in the morning, while the senior high awards were a more formal affair that evening.
“Academic awards such as these and other similar ceremonies are crucial to schools, because they help us recognize the best from our kids,” said principal Ian Rawlinson.
“These students work incredibly hard and most of our students are driven purely by results. This kind of recognition is what matters to them.”
Rawlinson did note that they also have athletic and other awards, which are for all students, but there remain a portion of students that are not motivated by the need to be recognized.
In the senior grades, there were a total of 71 students that achieved honours last year, a figure Rawlinson explained has remained fairly consistent over the years on a per-student basis.
He did state that because of the way marks are now calculated, especially for Grade 12 students, with the school-based mark making up a far greater portion, combined with more opportunity to make up exams and classroom assignments, lets more students strive for honours.
Assistant principal Ron Rarick explained many of the senior high awards come with a monetary aspect, something that could reach into the thousands of dollars for an individual student and shows that hard work can really pay off.
“For the Grade 12s, those amounts are usually higher and it really helps set the students up for post secondary,” he said.
“Depending on how many a student gets, it can help buy a lot of books and pay for courses. It also shows how great the community support and sponsorship of these awards are, and for our students is, and that is really important.”
Rawlinson added that most monetary awards and scholarships wouldn’t be possible without business and community support, but added that there are opportunities to be involved.
“Businesses and people need to understand (supporting these awards) is not only an investment in youth, but in education as a whole,” he said. “And I for one, think that is a great thing to do.”
