A youth environmental awareness program celebrated young leaders at Peace Arch Park on April 25.
An awards ceremony was hosted by the Rotary Club of Nature Celebrators to honour youth leadership in environmental stewardship.
This event was held at Heritage Hall and brought together students, educators, families and community leaders, a press release notes.
The event opened with a traditional First Nations blessing and featured remarks by South Surrey-White Rock MP Ernie Klassen, who presented a special Member of Parliament Award to recognize outstanding student achievement.
Three of these awards were given out to six individuals:
• Zihou Shang – Grade 3 student from Newbridge Academy
• Julia Wong and Amy Ma – Grade 7 students from Newbridge Academy
• Tristan Jiang, Austin Chang and Daniel Wang – Grade 7 students from H.T. Thrift Elementary
His speech centred on encouraging youth to continue taking an active role in protecting the environment and shaping a sustainable future.
Sophie Jin, president of the Rotary Club of Nature Celebrators, also addressed the audience, highlighting the importance of empowering young people to become environmental leaders and emphasizing the Rotary’s commitment to community service and sustainability.
Bobby Samra, principal of H.T. Thrift Elementary School, offered praise to the students’ creativity, awareness and dedication to environmental issues.
The district governor of Rotary District 5050 was unable to attend this ceremony but selected a piece of artwork for the District Governor Award, which was presented during the ceremony. Past district governor Raj Rajagopa attended and delivered remarks in her place, further recognizing the importance of youth engagement and environment responsibility.
White Rock Christian Academy Grade 3 student, Olivia Wu, won this years Rotary District 5050 Award.
The Rotary Club of Nature Celebrators says the highlight of the ceremony was the student showcase.
Students from H.T. Thrift Elementary School, White Rock Christian Academy and Newbridge Academy presented their award-winning artwork, speeches, and projects on stages.
“Their work demonstrated not only creativity, but also a deep understanding of environmental challenges and a strong commitment to making a difference,” notes the release.
The Youth Environmental Awareness Program’s aim is to inspire the next generation to take action in protecting the planet through education, creativity and community engagements.
The full list of award winners includes:
Rotary Club of Nature Celebrator President Award
• Grade 6 and 7 students from Newbridge Academy
Senior Speech Winner
• Jimin Pei
Junior Grade 6/7 Speech Winners
• #1 – Julia Won
• #2 – Amanda Pan and Kaydan Zhu
• #3 – Amy Ma
Junior Grade 3/4 Speech Winners
• #1 – Harry Pan
• #2 – Cathy Guo
• #3 – Joey Wong and George Hambrook
Junior Grade 1/2 Speech Winners
• #1 – Anja Yang
• #2 – Katherine Zhao
• #3 – Irish Ding
Kindergarten Speech Winners
• #1 – Rae Moore
• #2 – Enzo Barbucci
• #3 – Zhun Zhang
Grade 6/7 Project Winners
• #1 – Amanda Pan and Eva Zhao from Newbridge and Jacky Yu, Alan Obayashi, Laura Lapierre from H.T. Thrift
• #2 – Darius Wu and Richard Zhang from Newbridge and Eve Rarama, Sophie Flores, and Iman Skakeel from H.T. Thirft
• #3 – Austin Zhang and Kayden Zhu from Newbridge and Henry Wang, Andy Li, Jaspsahib Sidhu, Hajin Jeong from H.T. Thrift
Grade 4 Project Winners
• #1 – Cathy Guo and Athena Wu from Newbridge
• #2 – Harry Pan from Newbridge
• #3 – Austin Zhang and Kayden Zhu from Newbridge
Grade 3 Project Winners
• #1 – Joey Wong, George Hambrook, Amelia Wu from Newbridge
• #2 – Hary Zhao from Newbridge
Senior Art Winners
• #1 – Alina Wu – Grade 11 from York House School
• #2 – Hanqing Jin – Grade 10 from Grandview Heights Secondary
Junior Art Winners
• #1 – Julia Wong – Grade 7 from Newbridge
• #2 – Carina Lu – Grade 2 from Star of Sea
• #3 – Millie Jin – Grade 3 from Edgewood Elementary
Learn more about Rotary Club of Nature Celebrators on their webpage at portal.clubrunner.ca/17397.