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Four APEX winners announced at annual banquet |
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Wednesday, 16 April 2008 |
The idea that life is full of surprises was reinforced for the four winners of this year's APEX awards.
By Jennifer Elves
Taber Times
The four recipients were surprised when they learned they had been nominated, and even more shocked when they heard their names being called out when the winners were being announced.
Brandon O'Brien, a 16-year-old Grade 11 student at W.R. Myers who was one of the winners, said he never expected to get nominated, never mind be one of the recipients.
"Every year, you see the APEX nominees but you never really expect to get there yourself," said O'Brien.
Along with O'Brien, this year's winners of the annual APEX awards, which recognizes all-around good kids, were Jessica Hamilton, who is in Grade 12 at W.R. Myers high school and Kara Unruh and Karalee Frostad, who are students at Vauxhall high school.
Hamilton, 17, agreed being nominated was an honour in itself, and one she was not expecting.
"It's just really nice to be noticed. I guess everyone kind of lives in their own little world and you just do your own little thing, and it's just kind of neat that someone else is noticing you and taking time out of their world to look into yours," said Hamilton.
She keeps busy by being active in her church, figure skating five times a week, coaching skating as a paid position, as well as on a volunteer basis, and reading to two English-as-a-Second-Language students at Central school.
She has been skating since she was four and added a main aspect that has kept her with it so long is the challenge of working hard to achieve the goals she sets out for herself on the ice. She added she loves how skating is an independent sport and therefore, means she has to rely on herself to do a good job.
Frostad lives in Enchant, and has helped out with the Southern Alberta Bible Camp and this past year has been volunteering in continuing care at the Taber Health Centre. She says helping at the hospital is a win-win situation for her, the staff and the patients.
"I just like being around the people. They are so happy and fun. It's nice to do something for them when they're stuck in the hospital all day," said Frostad.
Unruh, who teaches stage two of CanSkate in Vauxhall, said she loves helping because she knows the children benefit but also because it helps her.
"Just walking in there brightens my day because all of them are just so excited to be there."
O'Brien assists with a lot of school projects at Myers, such as the plays the school puts on for the community. He has also been helping out with the Arts Council of Taber (ACT), by assisting to turn the old police station, court house and library into the Centre Court for the Arts.
O'Brien is also a volunteer co-ordinator for the equestrian part of the Southern Alberta Summer Games, being hosted in Taber in July.
"You just do things because it's the right thing you do. You don't do it for the glory or whatever," he said of his volunteer work.
O'Brien also is a riding instructor three times weekly and is a member of the 4-H Rough Riders. He enjoys assisting younger kids in the community in whatever ways he can.
"It gets a little hectic at times. You get spread a little thin but it usually pays off in the end. You feel good because you are helping out and a lot of the younger (4-H) members just need someone to help get them involved," says O'Brien.
Hamilton said some of the volunteer work she does can make for some busy days, referring to how she plans the seminary event for her church.
She added, however, all her hard work is worth it when she sees those at the event having fun.
"It's not like you need anyone to say thank you. It's just rewarding enough to be able to do it for them. You know they appreciate it by how they react to the event or whatever you are doing for them," she said.
As far as future aspirations go, Hamilton said she wants to continue to help out where ever it is needed in the communities she lives in. Career wise, she plans to go to Grant MacEwan College and then transfer to the University of Alberta for speech pathology. She got to see what is involved in being a speech pathologist when watched a speech pathologist work with her sister.
"They are right down on their hands and knees playing with them and having to teach them," said Hamilton.
O'Brien is planning to be a aeronautic engineer, and also aspires to build his own plane some day. He also plans to start up a secondary business, which would involve spray-plane piloting. He has always found watching birds fly inspiring, and has always been excited by the idea of flying.
"It just looks like it would be the best feeling in the world to be up there and be kind of a free spirit."
He added while he may move away from Taber, he plans to move back and continue contributing what he can to the community. Helping with the theatre group, he said, may be one way he will work to make a difference.
"It's just always been a lot of fun and a lot of fun for everyone else and I just think it's a good way to give back to the community you grew up in."
Along with the four winners, Ty Thorson, Tory Kallio, Brenna Toth and Matthew Vanden Dungen were selected to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) in May at the University of Calgary campus. |
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