McEntyre winners selected from a bumper crop of entries

This year the WHS students took at least one prize in each year from secondary one to five. But they weren’t without competition, however, as this year the annual competition enjoyed its largest number of entries since it was initiated 37 years ago.

The theme for the competition was travel and community. Chief judge Janet Boeckh and children’s librarian Wendy Wayling sorted through a record-breaking 1,409 entries, up from 1,205 last year. Over 63 volunteer judges, consisting of writers, bank managers, a retired judge, teachers and others from the community, were called into action to review the entries and then decide on the best of the best. “This year, winners came from a cross section of schools," said Wayling. "Not one school dominated the entries. We found that this year there was more participation from all the schools, public and private, and that made for a nice mix of entries. We find that when teachers participate and make the competition a class project, the students are more involved, although we do have some students who enter on their own.”

Boeckh agrees. “For me, it was most gratifying that for the first time we had participation from students from grades three to six who attend St. Leon’s school. And they won in two categories. All entries can be written in French or English.”

In conjunction with the writing competition the Visual Arts Centre sponsored an art project in which students reflected the theme of travel and community in their work. Teachers from the Centre went to six private and public Westmount schools and worked with students in 14 classes to create works in a variety of media. On Thursday, May 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. the Victoria Hall Gallery will host of vernissage the art work that will exhibit until June 13.

An awards ceremony and reception for the winners of the competition will be held on Monday June 1 starting at 7 p.m. at Victoria Hall. The public is invited to join the families and friends of the winners who will be celebrated with a prize of money and the donation of a book with their name inscribed inside the cover. “It is very exciting to see winners and their families in a non sport event,” said Boeckh.

The students and their families will be honoured at a special awards ceremony on Monday, June 1, in Victoria Hall.

This year's winners are:

Grade one

1. Sasha Varvarigos, Selwyn

2. Simon Sheppard, Selwyn

3. Joyce Li, The Study

Grade two

1. Elijah Nuez, Akiva

2. Sarah Suzanna Moghrabi, Akiva

3. Daniela Wunsh, Akiva

Grade three

1. Wisaal Jahangir, The Study

2. Lauryn Oberman, Roslyn

3. Vincent J. Rizzolo, Selwyn

HM Julia Ain, Roslyn

Grade four

1. Stepheny Marchl, ECS

2. Camille Joli-Coeur, ECS

3. Lana Bourbonnais, St-Léon

HM Rosie Flood, ECS

Grade five

1. Tamar Sifri, The Study

2. Nadine Abou-Khalil, St-Léon

3. Isaac Harris, Akiva

HM Martina Erdstein, The Study

Grade six

1. Paul Sypnowich, Marie de France

2. Caitlin Heiligmann, Roslyn

3. Madison Meehan, The Study

HM Crystal Theoharis, ECS

Grade seven

1. Jeremy Herman, Selwyn

2. Andee Goldstein, ECS

3. Émilie Cook-Desmarteau, Westmount High

HM Enas Jahangir, ECS

Grade eight

1. Ksenia Sysolyatina, Villa Ste-Marcelline

2. Andrew Lowther, Selwyn

3. Samantha Backman, The Study

HM Ian Jones-Mackling, Westmount High

Grade nine

1. Maria Agustina Lopez Laporte, EIM

2. Kira Gasco-Gilmour, Westmount High

3. Suzanne Zaccour, Villa Ste-Marcelline

HM Kyristal-Marie Andrews, Westmount High

Grade ten

1. Julianne Brock, The Study

1. Ashley Vincent, Westmount High

2. Merrick D’Amato, Westmount High

3. Simone Nichols, The Study

Grade eleven

1. Molly Callaghan, Westmount High

2. Jay Mordeno, Westmount High

3. Leilani Blaustein-Daniel, Westmount High

HM Priscilla Familiar da Silva, Westmount High