The 2024 Cele​brating Student Success students are:

Student	School	Town/City
Kaylee Abbey	Maple Leaf PS	Newmarket
Daniel Bennett	Keswick PS	Keswick
Brendan Chen	Silver Stream PS	Richmond Hill
Zachary Cheng	German Mills PS	Thornhill
Alina Dharamshi	Stouffville DSS	Stouffville
Micah Jhee-Eun Baik	German Mills PS	Thornhill
Camila Juarez Jimenez	Emily Carr SS	Woodbridge
Helia Namazi	Dr. G. W. Williams SS	Aurora
Sara Rana	Milliken Mills HS	Unionville
Ryan Singh	King City SS	King City
Aiden So	Lake Wilcox PS	Richmond Hill
August Tam	Markham DHS	Markham
Sonia Tang	Oscar Peterson PS	Stouffville
Ulyana Ussatova	Westmount CI	Thornhill
Olivia Wong	Castlemore PS	Markham
Louis Zhang	Armadale PS	Markham

Kaylee Abbey

Maple Leaf PS

Kaylee is an active participant in the Maple Leaf Public School community. She is involved in a variety of extracurricular activities, including the band, knitting club, Black Student Alliance and volunteering as a lunch monitor. She supports the multilingual language learning community in her school, making sure students know where the materials are, inviting them to join group activities, explaining things in easy-to-understand vocabulary and supporting with Google Translate. Further, she takes initiative to help around the classroom, including getting out the snack bin, setting the classroom timer, organizing the shelves and more.

 

Daniel Bennett

Keswick PS

Daniel is an active and involved student at Keswick Public School. He created and organized a soccer club for primary students. Additionally, he coached the games, giving up his own recess to do so. He was a student ambassador for Welcome to Grade One Day last year, something he would like to do again this year. Additionally, Daniel is a play leader at recess, helps with the science club and represents his class on Keswick P.S.'s Student Council. 

 

Brendan Chen

Silver Stream PS

Brendan is an influential member of the Silver Stream Public School community. In only one year, he has become the first student living with hearing loss to earn the title of head of sound for the school community. He leverages a colloquial implant to hear and approached his nominator, a film and theatre teacher, about being a sound tech. He is now teaching other students to set up and run sound, preparing the next generation to take over when he graduates.

 

Zachary Cheng

German Mills PS

Zachary is an empathetic leader at German Mills Public School. He has been involved in a number of school activities including sports teams (coaching and playing), Congee Cup, Maverick Madness and Band. His leadership style is rooted in compassion. He has volunteered hours of his recess time to support the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) class with activities, outdoor games, reading books and more. Further, he helps the Community Classroom students during school-wide events including getting them to participate in activities and performances and sitting with them during house-league style games.

 

Alina Dharamshi

Stouffville DSS

Alina is a natural leader in the Stouffville District Secondary School community. She is currently serving on student council as vice president, a step forward from her role as social representative on the 2022-2023 council. Alina leads a school-wide weekly executive in an effort to plan, communicate, and execute school activities. She has achieved honour roll in Grades 9 and 10, and is on track to do so in Grade 11 as well. 

 

Micah Jhee-Eun Baik

German Mills PS

Micah is an engaged student at German Mills Public School. She is involved in Announcements Crew, Congee Cup, Maverick Madness, Yearbook Committee, various sports teams and Band.
Micah is keen on being involved in social justice issues, including gender identity, and has initiated insightful conversation with the school community. Micah aspires to be an animator and has connected her passion for the arts with themes of freedom of expression, supporting 2SLGBTQ+ and celebrating diversity.

 

Camila Juárez Jimenez

Emily Carr SS

Camila is an exemplary multilingual language learner (MLL) at Emily Carr Secondary School. She led activities for Grade 9 Orientation Day (Coyote Camp) and planned and facilitated various team-building activities for Grade 9 students. Further, Camila founded MLL Town Hall at the school, where she planned and delivered sessions such as “Making Friends”, “Trouble-shooting in a New Space” and “Culture Shock” to newcomers to the school. She supports her school community by volunteering as a student translator, even coming to event nights to support newcomer families.

 

Helia Namazi

Dr. G. W. Williams SS

Helia is a leader in the Dr. G. W. Williams Secondary School community. She is heavily involved with the Centre for Immigrant and Community Services as a mental health youth ambassador and workshop coordinator. She is a prominent member in the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). She is chapter president of the DECA Business Competition and school chapter. Further, she is involved with the Interact Rotary Club of Aurora/Newmarket as Secretary and Logistics Coordinator.

 

Sara Rana

Milliken Mills HS

Sara is a leader in equity and leadership at Milliken Mills High School. She demonstrates a deep commitment to Indigenous education, including her application for and receipt of a Jane Goodall Grant, which she used towards leading initiatives that authentically infused Indigenous education and promoted an environment of mutual respect, understanding and connection. She has facilitated a number of workshops with support from the Board’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) consultants including a hands-on Magic Braiding workshop and a traditional strawberry drink workshop. Sara is also the co-president of the Equity Club at Milliken Mills HS.
 

Ryan Singh

King City SS

Ryan is an active member of the King City Secondary School community. He is a model student, and is involved with student council, the Executive Mentor Team, yearbook, the Terry Fox Run and Relay for Life. Ryan joined the KCSS community in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and, despite not having many of the transition supports available to him, he expressed interest in being involved in making those available to incoming students. Further, he is a member of the executive team, a small group of mentors who help develop younger mentors, and plan and organize the events all mentors can deliver.

 

Aiden So

Lake Wilcox PS

Aiden is a stand-out student at Lake Wilcox Public School. He is a member of the concert band, the Equity and Inclusivity Team and the Well-Being Team. He is also an inclusioneer, working closely with students and staff from the Community Class in order to build strong peer connections. He is a member of the Tech Team and is training younger students to take his place once he graduates. Aiden is an honour roll student and is continually looking for ways to help others, including sweeping classrooms at the end of the day to support the caretakers.

August Tam

Markham DHS

August is an equity leader in the Markham District High School community. He was vocal about re-establishing the Gender and Sexuality Alliance and served as president of the club for the past two years. He rebranded the club as PRISM. This is to be more inclusive for all students who are allies and members whose family may not be ready to accept their identities. Further, he has donated his own items towards fundraising for the club.

 

Sonia Tang

Oscar Peterson PS

Sonia is a dedicated student at Oscar Peterson Public School. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when students were prohibited from playing wind instruments, she took it upon herself to take French horn lessons outside of school so she could be part of the intermediate band. She is a dedicated volunteer, restocking shelves at the Stouffville Food Pantry, as well as cooking and serving meals to the less fortunate through her church group. Sonia continually supports those around her, through offering peer-tutoring, accompanying the junior/intermediate choir on the piano, and more.

 

Ulyana Ussatova

Milliken Mills HS

Ulyana is a passionate learner at Westmount Collegiate Institute. She is a creative force in the Dance Arts West program. She never backs down from a challenge and has built cross-curricular, collaborative relationships in one of the clubs that she participates in called “Shields”. She routinely connects with younger students as well as staff to maintain this club. Students and teachers alike feel they can easily connect with her.

 

Olivia Wong

Castlemore PS

Olivia is a leader in the Castlemore Public School community. She joined the Gender and Sexuality Alliance and Student Leadership. She quickly took to leading the rebranded spirit days (Yay Days) and became the go-to student representative to pitch ideas to administration as chosen by her peers. Further, she actively engaged in talks of inclusion, equity and the meaning of allyship.

 

Louis Zhang

Armadale PS

Louis is an active and enthusiastic member of the Armadale Public School community. He serves as a member of the Healthy Schools Team and supports the Food Bank Program. He participates in the Terry Fox program and the programming for Remembrance Day. Additionally, Louis supports mental health initiatives in the school, is a member of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance, is an active participant in the Grade One Reading Buddies Program and is supportive of the multilingual language learners in his school.