Student & Staff Awards Celebrated at Final BWDSB Meeting of the School Year
Bluewater District School Board shares student and staff award recipients from provincial and national competitions after honouring recipients at the final board meeting of 2025/26.
SUBMITTED
At the Regular Meeting of the Board on June 16, 2026, Bluewater District School Board (BWDSB) recognized student and staff award recipients in provincial and national competitions over the past school year.
From history, science, and mathematics, to track and field, music, skilled trades, and social justice, there was plenty to celebrate throughout 2025-2026 in our BWDSB schools and sites:
Canada’s National History Society
Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching – Finalist
Jennifer Morris, Teacher, John Diefenbaker Senior School
Hillary Weppler, Teacher, BWDSB Education Centre
Canada-Wide Science Fair 2026
Junior Excellence Award – Silver
Jack Lang, Sullivan Community School
Senior Egis Resilient Communities Award – Special Award Certificate
Aniruddh Tokekar and Tristan Traynor, Kincardine District Senior School
Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) Contests – University of Waterloo
Canadian Intermediate Mathematics Contest – Certificate of Distinction
Addie Ecker, Owen Sound District Secondary School
Tori Gruberbauer, Saugeen District Senior School
Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest – Certificate of Distinction
Lennon McLean, Owen Sound District Secondary School
Pascal Contest – Certificate of Distinction
Emerald Sobie, Owen Sound District Secondary School
Nived Menon, Owen Sound District Secondary School
Teddy Stafford, Grey Highlands Secondary School
Yining Lu, Grey Highlands Secondary School
Emily Dimakos, Grey Highlands Secondary School
Sadie Maskell, John Diefenbaker Senior School
Cayley Contest – Certificate of Distinction
Peter Nemeth, Owen Sound District Secondary School
Ezio Henderson, Owen Sound District Secondary School
Dhwani Patel, Saugeen District Senior School
Madeline Thede, Saugeen District Senior School
Fermat Contest – Certificate of Distinction
Alice Benson, Owen Sound District Secondary School
Travis Vanderkooy, Owen Sound District Secondary School
Andrew Stark, Saugeen District Senior School
Johnny Ballard, Saugeen District Senior School
Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) Track and Field Championship
Senior Women Shot Put – Silver
Adalee Turland, Kincardine District Senior School
Senior Women Discus Throw – Bronze
Adalee Turland, Kincardine District Senior School
Novice Men Javelin Throw – Bronze
Owen Neitzel, Kincardine District Senior School
Ontario Music Festivals Association (OMFA)
School Choirs – Small Ensembles – Grades 6 and Under – 1st place
Dawnview Public School Elementary Choir
Bands – School Bands – Elementary School – Grades 6 and Under – 2nd place
G. C. Huston Grade 6 Instrumental Class
Popular Voice – Solo – Beginner Level – Ages 6-8 – 3rd place
Robert Thompson, Bruce Peninsula District School
Classical Piano – Solo – Level 1 – Group D – 3rd place
Ewan Wilkins, Hillcrest Elementary School
Popular Piano – Duets and Trios – Elementary Level – Ages 11-12 – 3rd place
Lyle and Sadie Scriven, Normanby Community School
Songs From the Screen and More – Duets and Trios – Primary Level – Ages 9-10 – 3rd place
Presley Clark and Leah Morrison, Walkerton District Community School
Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA)
2025-26 OPSBA Awards – Outstanding Service Award
Edie Duncan, Teacher, Hillcrest Elementary School
Royal Canadian Legion – Ontario Provincial Command
Remembrance Day Literary Contest, Poem Category – 1st place, Senior Level
Michael Post-Glassford, Grey Highlands Secondary School
Schulich Leader Scholarships
Schulich Leader at Western University – Recipient of National $120,000 Scholarship
Esha Gill, Kincardine District Senior School
Skills Ontario Competition
Precision Machining – Gold
Evan McLaughlin, John Diefenbaker Senior School
GIS (Geographic Information Systems) – Bronze
Cameron Marsh and MJ Klunder, Owen Sound District Secondary School
Skills Canada National Competition
Precision Machining – Bronze
Evan McLaughlin, John Diefenbaker Senior School
SOMA – Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly
Outstanding Delegate for the World Health Organization Committee – Certificate of Distinction
Neven Barber, Georgian Bay Community School
Advocacy Award – Certificate of Distinction
Paige Johnson, Grey Highlands Secondary School
Honourable Mention – Certificate of Distinction
Cassidee Wolfe, Grey Highlands Secondary School
Honourable Mention for Oration and Debate – Certificate of Distinction
Ewan Dennison, Saugeen District Senior School
“We are incredibly proud of the many exceptional accomplishments of our students and staff who represented our board at the provincial and national levels in a wide range of competitions this past school year,” says Chief Executive Officer AJ Keene.
“Congratulations to all the award recipients on their well-deserved honours, in addition to the dedicated staff, coaches, and families who supported their hard work and skill development along the way. While there are too many to list, it is also important to acknowledge those who competed and achieved wonderful things in local and regional contests.
These efforts and accolades represent the high level of skills, talent, commitment, and determination that define our Bluewater schools and work sites.”
Submitted by Bluewater District School Board
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