Duke of Edinburgh Award Winners

On Saturday, November 14th, Eric D (Grade 11) and Aron Z (Grade 12) changed out of their wetsuits after a morning of kayak surfing at Jordan River and dressed in their Number One uniforms to attend the Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award Ceremony in Victoria. The Duke of Edinburgh program acknowledges youth who partake in an active lifestyle and who make positive contributions to their community. There are four components to the award: community service, developing a skill, physical recreation, and an adventurous journey. Eric D trained with the Brentwood rowing crew last year and earned a spot in Nationals and he was able to use this as his physical recreation credit. He worked as an usher at the Bunch theatre, serving both community and Brentwood events. He used these hours combined with his Charity Work Day hours as his community service component of the award. Eric has been playing piano for eight years and he used this to complete the skill component of the award. Eric’s adventurous journey was a three-day backpacking trip to Garibaldi Lake that he and his family completed last summer. Eric is the first male Brentwood student to complete a Silver Duke of Edinburgh award. Aron Z completed his sport commitment by sailing, playing squash, and participating in Outdoor Pursuits at Brentwood. He has played violin for nine years which completed the skill component of the award. Aron has volunteered in the Peer Tutoring program at Brentwood and as a safety boat driver for the regatta and accumulated enough hours for the community service component of the award. Last year, he went on a two-day outdoor rock climbing trip at Strathcona Park with the Outdoor Pursuits rock climbing group. Aron learned to build top-rope anchors and subsequently climbed on them. He used this trip as his adventurous journey. In addition to achieving a Silver Duke of Edinburgh award, Eric and Aron have also earned two academic credits towards their graduation. They were recognized for their accomplishments at the Silver Awards Ceremony on Saturday at the Governor General’s home in Victoria. Congratulations Eric and Aron! Students who are interested in participating in the Duke of Edinburgh program are asked to contact Ms. Herman.

Photo credit: Michael De Paoli.