Photo courtesy SRCE. Seated from left: Lieutenant Governor Education Medal Award Recipients Allie MacIntyre, Ivy DeCoste, Brea Miller, Beth Tubman, Miley Hanley, Raya Landry, Brooklyn Hanhams, Elsie-May Pyke, Suki Kamogawa and Wafeeqa Ahmed. Standing from left: Lieutenant Governor Education Medal Award Recipients Blake Landry, Angus MacKay, Dylan Hudson, Elise Munro, Bria Horne, Grayer Parsons, Brenna MacPherson, Isla Corkum and SRCE Regional Executive Director, Paul Landry. Not pic-tured: Lieutenant Governor Education Medal Award Recipients, Kate Morrow and Joshua MacBurnie.

PORT HAWKESBURY: In a celebration of outstanding student leadership, service, and academic achievement, 22 high school students from the Strait Regional Centre for Education (SRCE) were awarded the prestigious Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor’s Education Medal at a ceremony held this afternoon at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre.

Presented by Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Mike Savage, the Education Medal recognizes Grade 11 students who exemplify strong leadership in both their schools and communities, while also demonstrating commendable academic performance.

“Their many achievements are truly impressive, and this Medal is a well-deserved recognition of their significant accomplishments,” Regional Executive Director of the SRCE Paul Landry said. “Their determination in achieving their goals and commitment to serving their communities is inspiring. All of us in the Strait Regional Centre for Education are very proud of them.”

Landry also credited the families and educators who have supported the students along the way, helping to instill the values of service and leadership in their lives.

“These young people are making a significant and meaningful impact in our school communities. They are our leaders of today and tomorrow.”

Among the recipients are students who have excelled in diverse areas – ranging from science and technology to athletics, volunteerism, and the arts. From spearheading community health board initiatives and mentoring younger students, to excelling in provincial science fairs and founding social empowerment programs, these students are role models for their peers and contributors to a better future.

SRCE’s 2024-2025 Lieutenant Governor’s Education Medal recipients include: Cape Breton Highlands Education Centre/Academy – Grayer Parsons and Elsie-May Pyke; Chedabucto Education Centre/Guysborough Academy – Suki Kamogawa and Brenna MacPherson.

“Suki is an inquisitive and diligent individual, committed to putting forth her best effort in everything she does,” the SRCE said. “Her dedication makes her an exemplary recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Education Medal as she embodies the very qualities it represents.”

Dalbrae Academy – Beth Tubman and Elise Munro; Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School – Wafeeqa Ahmed and Isla Corkum; East Antigonish Education Centre/Academy – Ivy DeCoste and Kate Morrow.

“In her community, Kate has supported younger children through sports, prepared meals for homeless shelters, raised funds for Ronald McDonald House and volunteered at local events,” the SRCE said.

Fanning Education Centre/Canso Academy – Bria Horne and Brooklyn Hanhams; Inverness Education Centre/Academy – Angus MacKay and Brea Miller; Richmond Education Centre/Academy – Blake Landry and Raya Landry; St. Mary’s Education Centre/Academy – Dylan Hudson and Joshua MacBurnie; and Strait Area Education Recreation Centre (SAERC) – Miley Hanley and Allie MacIntyre.

“Allie consistently embodies a model student while balancing academic achievement and school community involvement at SAERC,” the SRCE said.

Each of these students has made unique contributions to their communities – whether through volunteerism, academic achievement, artistic pursuits, or sportsmanship – and they share a common passion for leadership and service.

The Strait Area can take pride in the remarkable accomplishments of these youth who are already shaping their schools and communities in positive and enduring ways.

Drake Lowthers

Drake Lowthers has been a community journalist for The Reporter since July, 2018. His coverage of the suspicious death of Cassidy Bernard garnered him a 2018 Atlantic Journalism Award and a 2019 Better Newspaper Competition Award; while his extensive coverage of the Lionel Desmond Fatality Inquiry received a second place finish nationally in the 2020 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards for Best Feature Series. A Nova Scotia native, who has called Antigonish home for the past decade, Lowthers has a strong passion in telling people’s stories in a creative, yet thought-provoking way. He graduated from the journalism program at Holland College in 2016, where he played varsity football with the Hurricanes. His simple pleasures in life include his two children, photography, live music and the local sports scene.

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Drake Lowthers has been a community journalist for The Reporter since July, 2018. His coverage of the suspicious death of Cassidy Bernard garnered him a 2018 Atlantic Journalism Award and a 2019 Better Newspaper Competition Award; while his extensive coverage of the Lionel Desmond Fatality Inquiry received a second place finish nationally in the 2020 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards for Best Feature Series. A Nova Scotia native, who has called Antigonish home for the past decade, Lowthers has a strong passion in telling people’s stories in a creative, yet thought-provoking way. He graduated from the journalism program at Holland College in 2016, where he played varsity football with the Hurricanes. His simple pleasures in life include his two children, photography, live music and the local sports scene.