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(Posted
8 a.m., July 18)
Area students finish at the top of their class
By Fred Sherwin
OrleansOnline.ca
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 Cairine
Wilson Secondry School grad Misha Kaniyath
earned the top mark among this year's graduating
class in Orléans with a 98.2 per cent average.
Fred Sherwin/Photo
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Bizav
Jaffer, Misha Kaniyath and Kian Mansour have two things
in common; they all finished at the top of their graduating
class at their respective high schools, and they all hope
to one day become doctors. Oh, and they have one other
thing in common. All three grads plan to major in biomedical
science at the University of Ottawa this coming fall.
Mansour
had the top mark at Colonel By Secondary School, finishing
the year with a 98.3 average, one-tenth of a mark higher
than Kaniyath who achieved the highest mark in Orléans
with a 98.2 per cent at Cairine Wilson Secondary School.
Mansour
was enrolled in Colonel By's International Baccalaureate
program. He was among more than 200 IB students from Kanata
who spent nearly two hours on a bus every day to get to
and from school.
Kaniyath's
accomplishment is remarkable in that her final average
is the highest achieved at Cairine Wilson in almost 12
years.
When
she wasn't studying, Kaniyath was helping to organize
events at the school, including this year's Relay for
Life. She also was a member of the science and math clubs
and she pursued her passion for art whenever she needed
to take a break from the books.
"I
also volunteered at the library and I volunteered at the
Ottawa General Hospital,� says Kaniyath who earned a scholarship
at the University of Ottawa that allows her to work in
a research lab during the summer.
Like
Kaniyath, Jaffer also volunteered at the Ottawa General.
In fact, she was a team leader, spending at least on shift
a week at the hospital. Remarkably, the two top grads
have yet to meet each other, in spite of the mutual path
they're on.
Jaffer
managed to beat out two other rivals to win the Governor
General's medallion at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School,
including her friend and study partner Mayra Monir.
When
the final marks came in, Jaffer had a 96.0 per cent average,
0.33 per cent higher than Riley Arseneau, who finished
with a 95.67 per cent average, and half a point higher
than Monir who finished with a 95.5 per cent average.
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Sam
Henriques is this year's Governor General's
medal recipient at St. Peter High School after
achieving an average of 94.6 per cent. Fred
Sherwin/Photo
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When
she wasn't studying or volunteering at the Ottawa General
Hospital, Jaffer worked several shifts a week at Winners
and she was a member of the student council.
"Time
management is key,� says Jaffer, "and you need to find
a balance. You just can't study all the time or you'll
fry your brain.�
Time
management is something Sam Henriques, had down to a tee.
Besides earning a 94.6 per cent average, the St. Peter
High School grad found time to fulfill the duties of one
of the two student trustees on the Ottawa-Carleton District
School Board; he played on the school's soccer, rugby,
volleyball and Ultimate Frisbee teams; and he played sax
in the school band.
"I
did my best to spend my time well. I didn't want to leave
high school with any regrets,� says Henriques, who plans
to study nanotechnology engineering at the University
of Waterloo this fall.
Asked
if he had any advice for students hoping to earn top marks
next year, Henriques simply said to do whatever makes
them happy.
"Don't
worry about what other people are doing, just do the best
you can and have fun. You need to find the aspect of the
course that is the most interesting. Find what attracts
your interest and fuels your passion for learning.�
(This story
was made possible thanks to the generous support of our
local business partners.)
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TAPROOM 260 presents Crooked Creek live from 8-11 p.m. at 260 Centrum Blvd. For more information visit 
MATT LULOFF W/ EDISON RUPERT performing at the Stray Dog Brewing Company, 501 Lacolle Way in the Taylor Creek Business Park. To register your team visit 
OTTAWA CARLETON MALE CHOIR in concert at the Navan-Vars United Church 1129 Smith Rd. in Navan at 2:30 p.m. Tickets $20 at the door.
THE ORLÉANS BREWING CO. presents Oyster Wednesdays every Wednesday. The Orléans Brewing Co. is located at 4380 Innes Rd. near McDonalds.
BLACKBURN HAMLET COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The entire community is invited…rain or shine! Please keep visiting blackburn.ca for more up-to-date information as it becomes available.
