A Rossland student has been awarded the Governor General’s Bronze Medal for Academic Excellence.
Remi Drolet received the honour last Monday at his former school, the Seven Summits Centre for Learning.
Drolet, who graduated last June, was selected from all North Island Distance Education (Navigate) students across B.C.
The award goes to the student with the highest academic average over grades 10, 11 and 12. It’s presented in the fall so provincial exam results can be included in the calculation.
Because the selection is based on grades alone, the decision on the worthy recipient is not arbitrary. Winners often have a combined aggregate average of 95 per cent in their final three years of school, and some schools will not present the award in a given year where no student achieved a significantly high standard.
Drolet was the easy and obvious choice as this year’s recipient. His combined academic average over three years was 98.8 per cent.
His parents Edouard Drolet and Nathalie Levasseur say Remi has always been a conscientious learner.
He “would do hours and hours of homework,” without any cajoling from his parents, said Edouard. He suspects that Remi’s commitment to excellence in cross-country skiing has spilled over to other aspects of his life.
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Drolet is currently enjoying his second year on Canada’s junior national cross-country ski team. His coach, Dave Wood, said Remi excels at the sport because he is so coachable, which is something his teachers also see in him.
Remi said he is grateful to the teachers of the Seven Summits program for their flexibility and encouragement, allowing him to juggle skiing and schooling without letting either suffer for the other.
He is being sought by several post-secondary institutions across Canada and the U.S., but is giving serious consideration to attending Harvard to ski and study physics.
He hopes to continue skiing as a professional, and ultimately earn a PhD in particle or theoretical physics.
The staff of Seven Summits and North Island Distance Education School want to extend their best wishes to Remi for a very bright future.
reporter@rosslandnews.com
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