Ike Zhang
Victoria Park C.I.
Lue Family Community Services Award
Ike’s spirit of volunteerism carries him through the day from morning to night. His deep commitment to helping others begins at home as a caregiver for a family member, and extends into school and the community. In addition to being on the Student Council, he is the co-chair of the North East Quadrant of the Toronto District School Board’s Student SuperCouncil. For his fundraising work with the Kidney Foundation of Canada, he was named Youth Charity Ambassador and recognized with an award from the Chinese Renal Association of Canada. As a member of the Toronto Chinese Orchestra, he plays the erhu, a traditional bowed instrument, and organizes fundraising concerts for hospitals and community organizations. Although he volunteers locally at the Scarborough and Toronto General hospitals, Ike has travelled to Ecuador several times as a youth activist of Free the Children to help build schools and a water filtration system. A sponsor of a four-year-old boy in China, Ike believes that “setting the right example and making a difference in people’s lives” can also be done on a small scale.
Ike is enrolled in his final year of high school.
Carol Xiong
Northern Secondary School
University of Toronto Scarborough Academics Award
Carol arrived from China as a four-year-old. Despite her family’s challenging financial circumstances, she rose to the top ranks in the academic and music world. With an average of 96% in her graduating year, she was on the Honour Roll throughout high school despite her busy schedule as an accomplished vocalist, piano and organ soloist, accompanist, and music teacher. By age 15, Carol had completed her ARCT in Performance with First Class Honours with Distinction. She was a Student Council executive who drafted a new constitution, vice-president of the Math Engineering and Science Association, and treasurer of the school’s music council. Based on her high SAT scores, overall academic excellence, and leadership, she was invited to the 2011 International People to People Leadership Summit. Among her numerous achievements are Top 25% in the Canadian National Waterloo Math Competition, and winner and finalist in provincial and national debating tournaments.
Carol is enrolled at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
Bethany So
Agincourt C.I.
Murphy & Chung Chartered Accountants Athletics Award
Badminton catapulted Bethany from achievements in multiple sports, like volleyball and cross country running, at her school to the international stage as an athlete representing Canada in the Junior Pan American Games, Junior Olympic tryouts, and Canada Winter Games. Winning provincial, national and international tournaments for singles, doubles, and mixed doubles has ranked her second and third in the U19 age category of National Junior Elites. Her goal is to represent Canada at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. Bethany’s coach describes her as being one of the most talented and coachable athletes of her teaching career. Not only did her athleticism garner many awards, she received the Principal’s Scholar Award for achieving the top 20 academic marks in each year.
Bethany is studying kinesiology at the University of Toronto.
Clement Chao
University of Toronto Schools
Downtown Subaru Innovation Award
For someone who aspired to be an inventor, Clement has achieved one of his many goals by developing a research project using an enzyme-based biosensor to detect pathogenic bacteria. Despite having a demanding school workload, his “excellent effort and progress,” as described by the supervising University of Toronto professor, resulted in high-level results, matching those of many third-year undergraduate students. Working in a voluntary capacity, Clement showed initiative and scientific creativity in formulating his unique project that was related to ongoing research in the university’s laboratory. Clement’s teacher advisor notes that he is well rounded in music, athletics, martial arts as a black belt, and volunteerism at a seniors’ centre and St. John Ambulance, while maintaining an A average. He has been the recipient of many science awards and achieved the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Clement will be attending medical school at James Cook University in Australia in February 2012.
Dennis Wong
Nelson High School, Burlington
Kotcheff Family Arts Award
Dennis began his love of piano from the age of three when practicing was “never an issue” for him. Since those early years, he has achieved the ARCT Piano Performance with First Class Honours with Distinction. Sharing his music as a volunteer performer and organizer, he has played the piano at many events in the community, as well as performing with the school’s jazz band and his own rock band. His latest fundraising initiative involved organizing over thirty local young musicians who performed in a series of concerts to raise funds to purchase a concert piano for the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. Described as “one of the finest young musicians in Burlington,” he has earned a long list of awards at school for academics and community leadership, and at local, provincial, national, Kiwanis, Royal Conservatory, and other music competitions, all the while maintaining an average of 95% in grade 11 and 96% in grade 12.
Dennis is studying management and organizational studies at the University of Western Ontario.