Last night I had the privilege of attending the 11^th annual Oak Bay Young Exceptional Star (Y.E.S) awards ceremony at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel where 10 exceptionally talented youth in grades 6 to 10 were honoured for their achievements.

As noted by the YES Awards Committee, Chaired by Hazel Braithwaite, that administers the awards, “The goal of the awards is to emphasize the positive achievements of Oak Bay’s young people by recognizing those who have distinguished themselves in such areas as volunteerism, arts, citizenship, academics, athletics and/or who have overcome obstacles to achieve their goals.”

Congratulations to this year’s award winners: Lily Cave, Zach Charlseworth, Leo Mohsenzadeh-Green, Reed Greenwood,  John Horwood, Tessa Jones, Talia Pike, Lachlan Stewart, Rebecca Stone, and Lidya Townsend

I had the pleasure of presenting the award to Zach Charlesworth from Oak Bay High School who was nominated by his teacher Nichelle Garraway. Below is the text of my speech.

Text of Presentation Speech

Nichelle Garraway, who coordinated the nomination for Zach Charlesworth, a grade 10 student at Oak Bay High School, descibes him as a spectacular young man.

He leads his classmates effortlessly and with an enthusiasm that is contagious. His teachers speak highly of him as a ‘well-rounded’ student and his peers often look to him for support and guidance, which he is always willing to give freely.

He is a kind and caring individual, working hard to make those around him feel welcome in their school and their community.

Zach is an exceptional student not only in his academics, but also in his comportment.

Zach’s most recent report card was superb. He achieved an ‘A’ in all of his courses and above 95% in seven classes.

His teachers all appreciate his willingness to ask questions and delve into the subject matter on a variety of different levels.

It is no easy feat to maintain grades such as these, especially considering Zach has a very busy schedule playing hockey outside of school as well.

Zach has the ability to converse and work with anyone and everyone, finding something in common with any student in the classroom.

He works very hard to ensure that he submits work of the highest quality in all of his classes and has a genuine passion for learning that inspires others to foster a curiosity within themselves.

Zach’s athletic prowess is not to be overlooked. Zach has played hockey at a very competitive level for many years, even travelling with his team to the provincial championships in Fort St. John this past spring break.

His commitment to the sport of hockey and to his team exemplifies his dedication. He dedicates many hours to practice, to travel and to game play, yet he still manages to arrive to school every day with his work completed at a high quality and excited to learn.

Zach is well known for his creativity and sense of humour both in and out of the classroom. At any given moment, he is sure to be cracking a joke with his teammates, his classmates, even when giving a presentation in French.

Aside from his natural athletic talent, Zach is also a natural leader and deserves to be recognized as such. His positive attitude and genuine charisma contribute to make the school and his community a better place.

There’s no doubt that we’ll continue to celebrate Zach’s success as he influences the Oak Bay community and the world with his kindness and leadership.

I am delighted to be able to present this young man with a Young Exceptional Star award – he is certainly deserving of it!

Please help me to congratulate Zach.