A youth environmental awareness program celebrated young leaders at Peace Arch Park on April 25.<\/p>\n
An awards ceremony was hosted by the Rotary Club of Nature Celebrators to honour youth leadership in environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n
This event was held at Heritage Hall and brought together students, educators, families and community leaders, a press release notes.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Three of these awards were given out to six individuals:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Zihou Shang \u2013 Grade 3 student from Newbridge Academy<\/p>\n
\u2022 Julia Wong and Amy Ma \u2013 Grade 7 students from Newbridge Academy<\/p>\n
\u2022 Tristan Jiang, Austin Chang and Daniel Wang \u2013 Grade 7 students from H.T. Thrift Elementary<\/p>\n
His speech centred on encouraging youth to continue taking an active role in protecting the environment and shaping a sustainable future.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s commitment to community service and sustainability.<\/p>\n
Bobby Samra, principal of H.T. Thrift Elementary School, offered praise to the students\u2019 creativity, awareness and dedication to environmental issues.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
White Rock Christian Academy Grade 3 student, Olivia Wu, won this years Rotary District 5050 Award.<\/p>\n
The Rotary Club of Nature Celebrators says the highlight of the ceremony was the student showcase.<\/p>\n
Students from H.T. Thrift Elementary School, White Rock Christian Academy and Newbridge Academy presented their award-winning artwork, speeches, and projects on stages.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir work demonstrated not only creativity, but also a deep understanding of environmental challenges and a strong commitment to making a difference,\u201d notes the release.<\/p>\n
The Youth Environmental Awareness Program\u2019s aim is to inspire the next generation to take action in protecting the planet through education, creativity and community engagements.<\/p>\n
The full list of award winners includes:<\/p>\n
Rotary Club of Nature Celebrator President Award<\/p>\n
\u2022 Grade 6 and 7 students from Newbridge Academy<\/p>\n
Senior Speech Winner <\/p>\n
\u2022 Jimin Pei<\/p>\n
Junior Grade 6\/7 Speech Winners<\/p>\n
\u2022 #1 \u2013 Julia Won<\/p>\n
\u2022 #2 \u2013 Amanda Pan and Kaydan Zhu<\/p>\n
\u2022 #3 \u2013 Amy Ma<\/p>\n
Junior Grade 3\/4 Speech Winners<\/p>\n
\u2022 #1 \u2013 Harry Pan<\/p>\n
\u2022 #2 \u2013 Cathy Guo<\/p>\n
\u2022 #3 \u2013 Joey Wong and George Hambrook<\/p>\n
Junior Grade 1\/2 Speech Winners<\/p>\n
\u2022 #1 \u2013 Anja Yang<\/p>\n
\u2022 #2 \u2013 Katherine Zhao<\/p>\n
\u2022 #3 \u2013 Irish Ding<\/p>\n
Kindergarten Speech Winners <\/p>\n
\u2022 #1 \u2013 Rae Moore<\/p>\n
\u2022 #2 \u2013 Enzo Barbucci <\/p>\n
\u2022 #3 \u2013 Zhun Zhang <\/p>\n
Grade 6\/7 Project Winners<\/p>\n
\u2022 #1 \u2013 Amanda Pan and Eva Zhao from Newbridge and Jacky Yu, Alan Obayashi, Laura Lapierre from H.T. Thrift <\/p>\n
\u2022 #2 \u2013 Darius Wu and Richard Zhang from Newbridge and Eve Rarama, Sophie Flores, and Iman Skakeel from H.T. Thirft <\/p>\n
\u2022 #3 \u2013 Austin Zhang and Kayden Zhu from Newbridge and Henry Wang, Andy Li, Jaspsahib Sidhu, Hajin Jeong from H.T. Thrift <\/p>\n
Grade 4 Project Winners<\/p>\n
\u2022 #1 \u2013 Cathy Guo and Athena Wu from Newbridge <\/p>\n
\u2022 #2 \u2013 Harry Pan from Newbridge <\/p>\n
\u2022 #3 \u2013 Austin Zhang and Kayden Zhu from Newbridge <\/p>\n
Grade 3 Project Winners<\/p>\n
\u2022 #1 \u2013 Joey Wong, George Hambrook, Amelia Wu from Newbridge<\/p>\n
\u2022 #2 \u2013 Hary Zhao from Newbridge<\/p>\n
Senior Art Winners<\/p>\n
\u2022 #1 \u2013 Alina Wu \u2013 Grade 11 from York House School<\/p>\n
\u2022 #2 \u2013 Hanqing Jin \u2013 Grade 10 from Grandview Heights Secondary<\/p>\n
Junior Art Winners<\/p>\n
\u2022 #1 \u2013 Julia Wong \u2013 Grade 7 from Newbridge<\/p>\n
\u2022 #2 \u2013 Carina Lu \u2013 Grade 2 from Star of Sea<\/p>\n
\u2022 #3 \u2013 Millie Jin \u2013 Grade 3 from Edgewood Elementary<\/p>\n