10 Nyo
Related Articles
Outstanding achievements were celebrated on many levels at the Central Okanagan School Board meeting on Wednesday, June 8.
Sports, arts, music and academia were all in the spotlight for administrators to pass on their congratulations to the various winners.
Mike Sodaro
The KLO Middle School teacher received school board recognition for his 16U Barn Owls men’s volleyball team winning a bronze medal at the 2022 Volleyball Canada National Championships in Edmonton.
The club team consisted of players from Okanagan Mission Secondary (OKM) and École Kelowna Secondary (KSS).
Administrators also recognized Sodaro for receiving two civic awards from the City of Kelowna – the Bob Giordano Memorial Award Coach/Sport Administrator of the Year and as the coach of the high school men’s volleyball team. of Kelowna, winners of the Bryan Couling Memorial Award – Athletic Team of the Year.
KSS manager Troy White said the awards are well-deserved for Solaro, noting that personal notoriety isn’t what drives him
“It’s all about the kids,” White said.
Tatum Wade
Tatum Wade
A 12th grade student at Okanagan Mission Secondary, Tatum Wade was the recipient of the Augie Ciancone Memorial Award – Young Female Athlete Honor.
Wade told directors she grew up in an athletic family and loved trying as many different sports as she could.
Last year, she played basketball, earned a post-secondary scholarship to the University of Calgary, and was named one of BC’s Top 15 Players to Watch in track and field, long-distance running and ultimate Frisbee, in addition to holding a job and getting the best academic grades in class.
“We’re all proud of her,” said Okanagan Mission High School principal Derek Lea.
Nathan Loo
A grade 12 student at Okanagan Mission High School, Nathan Loo was co-recipient of the Augie Ciancone Memorial Award – Young Male Athlete with Everett Schmuland, a grade 12 student at Kelowna High School who was unable to attend at the school board meeting.
Loo has spent the last year playing basketball, volleyball and track and field.
“For me, I’ve always seen sports and studies as going hand in hand with school,” Loo said.
Loo said the sport taught him the importance of being in good physical shape and empowering himself to see the results of setting and achieving goals all the way.
“I’m very grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way,” Loo said.
Lea noted that Loo is also OKM’s graduate council president and class valedictorian.
“We’re proud to call him a Husky,” Lea said.
Dryden Bennet
Dryden Bennet
The Civic Teen Honor in the Arts Award goes to Dryden Bennett, a Grade 12 student at Rutland Senior Secondary, an award that also comes with a $500 entrance scholarship to the UBC Okanagan Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies.
Bennett became an exceptional musician and composer. In addition to winning Most Inspirational Musician at the RSS in 2021, he plays the first chair trombone for the Okanagan Youth Symphony Orchestra.
He started music in 9th grade with no previous experience and has since become a mature music composer for wind band and symphony music.
He has previously written an original composition, “Tangerine Trees,” which was performed by the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, and another piece, “Rain at the End of Time,” which was performed by the Youth Orchestra.
“I’m lucky to have an amazing support group at RSS,” Bennett said.
David Wither
David Wither
His dedication to helping others earned David Withler, a Grade 12 student at Kelowna High School, the Civic Young Citizen of the Year Award.
“It’s not what David did for himself, it’s what he did for others,” KSS manager Troy White said.
Withler holds a unique title: he is the youngest and most frequent plasma donor in Canada.
In addition to rolling up his sleeves to donate blood, he also supported many community initiatives in 2021, including volunteering at long-term care facilities and helping to raise awareness of the new Plasma Donor Center in Orchard. Park Mall.
Withler is also an avid football player, while mentoring young players and refereeing local games. He also represented Kelowna at the 2019 International Children’s Soccer Games.
White called Withler an exemplary model of the idea that helping others is the most important thing you can do in your life.
Men’s junior volleyball team 18 and under
The team recently won a silver medal at the 2022 Volleyball Canada National Championships in Edmonton under Coach Paul Thiessen, OKM Athletic Director and President of the Okanagan Central School Athletics Association.
The Heat players came from KSS, OKM and Mount Boucherie Secondary, the first time a Kelowna men’s team has won a medal in the Tier 1 division, finishing second in the 32-team tournament.
Kelowna was also one of 350 club teams from across Canada seeded to play for a spot in the national championships.
“It was a huge achievement for a team in a district the size of the Central Okanagan. All the other top-eight teams came from cities with more than one million people,” Thiessen said.
He said six of the team members were recruited by CIS teams while several others will play for collegiate teams this fall.
To report a typo, send an email:
newstips@kelownacapnews.com.
@KelownaCapNews
newstips@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our daily and subscribe to our daily newsletter.
CommunitySchoolsSports
