The Bulkley Valley Community Foundation has announced the recipients of its 2021 Learning Awards
Recipients of the BVCF Grade 12 Learning Awards for 2021 are: Mary Hodge, Jaxson Lohn, Julie Ana Maciel and Ton Tran from Houston Secondary School; Jessie Tran, Jenelle Stanton, Sarah Fillier, Janessa Garcia, Bodhi Wilson, Jackson McDiarmid, Jonah Ma, Morgan Fort, and Sage Murphy from Smithers Secondary School; Caitlyn Wierenga, Cameron Dykstra, Ava Bruintjes, Deanna Wendt, and Sam Bredenhof from Ebenezer Christian Reformed School in Smithers; Gavin Nanninga from Bulkley Valley Christian School in Smithers; and Anela Croft and Patience Muldoe from Hazelton Secondary School.
This year is also the third year for the Fritz Pfeiffer Adult Learning Awards. The 2021 awards will help students from ages 19 to 51 who are beginning or continuing their post-secondary studies as adult learners in many fields. These awards were established by a remarkable gift from Telkwa’s late Fritz Pfeiffer, who wanted to help students with tuition fees and other educational expenses.
Rebecca Sketchley, Chantel Wickson, Ella Maskiewich, Rachel Cuell, Kevin Berry, Tirion Grice, Oliver Holt, Aurora Mernickle, Kathryn Shiach, Julia Sundell and Katelyn Hirtz are the students benefitting from this wonderful legacy for 2021.
New for 2021 are the Alec Duncan Cooper Awards. Cooper, an educator who spent part of his career in the North, developed an affinity for Bulkley Valley communities and left a generous bequest to the BVCF as a permanent legacy for Bulkley Valley students.
Greyson Gould was awarded the Alec Duncan Cooper Award in Mathematics and Brooke Schley received the Alec Duncan Cooper Award in Physics. Both are Smithers Secondary School grads who are the top students in their subjects.
Also on the table again were the Wetzin’kwa Community Forest Corporation Grade 12 Learning Awards, this year going to: Jackson McDiarmid and Janessa Garcia from Smithers Secondary School; and Gavin Nanninga from Bulkley Valley Christian School.
Finally, the Nick Van Arem Award for Courage, Spirit and Determination is chosen by Smithers Secondary staff for a student who exhibits courage and determination while overcoming their own challenges. This year, the BVCF congratulated Aleea Zubeck with the well-earned honour.
The BVCF Learning Awards program began in 2012 with total funding of $3,000 given to six graduating students. This year, in total the organization provided $48,500 to 35 learners for five different types of awards.
“That’s an exciting growth trend,” said BVCF Board Chair Kate Daniels-Howard.
“As students prepare for the school year, we thank generous individual and business donors for their funding. We invest these donations in perpetuity and steward their growth. The annual interest generated goes to qualifying students from Topley to Kitwanga.
“The BVCF is pleased to assist these future community leaders.”
In addition to all the Learning Awards, the BVCF manages the Creative Roots Bursary Fund, providing tuition help for pupils of the Creative Roots Performing Arts School.
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