Local students were presented the Collingwood Optimist Club’s Friends of Youth awards Jan. 18.
Thirty-two students from 16 area schools were recognized for their achievement of outstanding community involvement.
The club recognizes students from Collingwood, Wasaga Beach and Clearview Township who have been involved in their school, church, community club or sports team. The winners are chosen by teachers for showing commitment to community service and leadership ability.
Addison Payment, a Grade 6 student at Nottawasaga and Creemore Public School (NCPS), is involved with lots of school teams, clubs and sports including basketball, volleyball and chess, to name a few. She is a member of the NCPS spirit squad, which organizes events and school activities such as the food drive, the Movember fundraiser, the winter games and literacy day. As one of her favourite extracurricular activities, Payment has helped in the library for the past four years as a library helper.
Away from school, Payment has taken an interest in robotics and is an active member of the Cybergirls robotics team. The team competes all over Ontario in robotics competitions. The Cybergirls have won multiple judges’ awards and have been awarded a tablet in appreciation for the team’s good sportsmanship. Robot programming and building are two of Payment’s duties on the team but her favourite part of being on the team is driving the robot.
Grade 6 NCPS student Justin Rowbotham belongs to the cross-country team and the spirit squad. He has been involved with organizing and executing many different teambuilding activities for his fellow students including Movember, dance-a-thons, Winter Olympics and most recently, a Christmas food drive, which was televised on the Barrie news. He loves school; his favourite subjects include math and language, particularly public speaking. He has represented his school for the past two years at the Creemore Royal Canadian Legion’s competition. Rowbotham is also said to be a great helper in the classroom by his teacher Mrs. Smith, “when he is helping a fellow student with a problem, he helps them by explaining how to get the right answer, rather than just giving it to them.” He is just as enthusiastic about the success of others as his own. Rowbotham has also been chosen by his school to attend a four-day leadership camp run by the School Board later this spring. His other interests include skiing, swimming, reading, video games, travel and spending time with friends and family. Rowbotham is a cheerful, caring, well-mannered young man who only sees the best in everything and everyone. He certainly has a big, bright, beautiful future in store for him.
Ally McLeod is a proud Grade 12 student at Stayner Collegiate Institute (SCI). She is a dedicated and hardworking member of the school community.
She is friendly, outgoing, energetic and enjoys participating in a variety of activities inside and outside of school.
McLeod has been on student council executive since Grade 9 including roles as social convener in Grade 10 and student council president in both Grade 11 and 12. Her commitment to do the best job possible has improved school spirit and student participation in school events including dances and spirit activities such as ‘Clash of the Colours.’
McLeod is extremely dedicated to the athletic program at SCI. In addition to playing on over a dozen school teams including basketball, volleyball, soccer and flag football, she is an active volunteer on athletic council, where she assists with timekeeping, scorekeeping and lining games for other teams.
Outside of school McLeod is a senior competitive skater with the Stayner Skating Club, figure skating since she was four years old. She also plays soccer with the Collingwood United Soccer Club on the U18 Girls travelling team.
McLeod works hard academically achieving honour roll every semester as well as the highest mark in numerous courses and maintaining an 85 per cent average since Grade 9.
In addition to her academics and extra-curricular activities, McLeod has volunteered over 350 hours with a variety of school and community organizations including peer assisting and coaching with the Stayner Figure Skating Club, serving milk at Miller’s Dairy Day, OELC and helping at every possible school event including Spartan Start, commencement, and other special school events.
When she isn’t at school or volunteering you will find McLeod at work at the Stayner Dairy Queen, where she has been employed since Grade 9 or out and about socializing with friends.
Next year Ally hopes to be attending the University of Western Ontario for Kinesiology.
Jake Underhill is a grade 12 student at Stayner Collegiate Institute. He plans to study biomedical engineering at university next year with the hopes of someday practicing medicine.
Three years ago his application was accepted to an Ontario government program for young entrepreneurs to start a business. Today, his company “Dock Boys” continues to thrive and has three full time summer employees.
At 12 years old, living for 2 months with his family in a remote village in Tanzania, Underhill enjoyed working daily in a busy orphanage. While taking care of the 20 or so children, he learned what a big difference he could make.
To date he has amassed more than 200 high school volunteer hours, including being the assistant coach of many high school teams, tutoring elementary students and helping in the Collingwood hospital.
An extreme sport enthusiast, Underhill has participated in OFSAA soccer, has been a two-time OMHA champion and played on five varsity teams last year.
Every year since Grade 9, Underhill has been selected SCI’s male athlete of the year. But more important than his sport victories, his leadership and sportsmanship have been recognized time and again by coaches and teammates as he has captained many of these teams.
Despite his busy sport schedule, volunteering, and working after school and on weekends, throughout high school he has managed to maintain an average of over 90 per cent, winning various academic awards.
Photo: Justin Rowbotham (from left), Addison Payment, Ally McLeod and Jake Underhill received citations from the Optimist Club of Collingwood at its annual youth appreciation night, Jan. 18.