Friday, November 17, 2017 3 Brooklin Town Crier Nineteen Whitby youth were recently presented with 2017 Celebrating Youth Awards at a special ceremony held in recognition of their outstanding leadership in and positive contributions to their community. Four of these were Brooklin High School students. Amber Rhodes started volunteering while at Winchester Public School. She was paired with a student with autism through the Reading Buddies program which inspired her to pursue other volunteer opportunities. The student she worked with introduced her to Nova's Ark where she then completed 700 hours of community service and learned many valuable skills in the process. She has also worked with children who have Down Syndrome helping them in a dance class. Amber still volunteers at her elementary school working in a variety of different classes and continues to work as a mentor in the Reading Buddies program. Razi Siddiqui is an executive on student parliament, co-chair of Model UN, Secretary on Arts Council, vice-president of the BHS DECA chapter and a saxophonist in the school jazz collective. He is also involved with Me to We, Intramural Dodgeball, the Science Inves- tigators Club, Battle of the Books, Junior Band, Senior Band, Debate Club, Coding Club and a writer for his school's blog. Razi won first place at DECA last year, with a Top 10 Overall score, Top 10 Exam score and Top 10 Oral score. He went on to achieve a Top 10 Exam score at DECA Provincials shortly afterwards. Razi has spent more than 100 hours volunteering in the community as a tutor, in patient unit assistant at the Institute of Diabetes and Endocrinology, and providing respite services to children with Autism through Footprints for Autism. Lauren Ogden was a member of several clubs and sports teams in elementary school including: curling, volleyball, soccer, badminton, Eco Club, Me to We and Jazz Choir. She also received awards for Honour Roll, Academic Excellence, Citizenship and the Winchester Letter. In grade nine, she was a member of the Me to We Club and travelled to Ecuador. She is involved with the BHS Student Council and has organized events like Formal, Terry Fox Run, Intramurals, Cure Cup Fundraiser and Spirit Days. She is a Student Leader and Mentor (SLAM) working with younger students. She has also been a member of the swim, badminton and weight clubs and served on the Athletic Council. Lauren has participated in the Braver than Brave Sport-a-thon, Relay for Life, the Terry Fox Run and has also been on the school Honour Roll. In grade 11, she took part in the YMCA Indigenous Youth Exchange program and is a youth soccer coach in Whitby. Grace Lindsay has taken on many leadership roles and has been highly involved in the Arts and Me to We programs. She's been a member of the Student Leaders and Mentors program and has acted as a leader and mentor for younger students. She has also been on Student Council, the Executive Council and the Student Senate. Grace has also made valuable contributions to the drama program being a part of three major school productions and contributing to writing scripts. She has continued to volunteer at her elementary school with their musical productions. In addition, Grace has volunteered at Brooklin United Church helping with Christmas hampers, Halloween Craft Night and Summer Bible Camp. She volunteered at the Town of Whitby Summer Camps and has helped fundraise for Kids Help Phone. She was also a guest speaker and advocate for students with learning disabilities with the Courage to Be Me program. "The stories, accomplishments and all-round positive approach to life demonstrated by each of these nineteen young leaders is truly inspirational - to me and to all young people living here in Whitby," said Mayor Don Mitchell who, along with members of the Whitby Youth Council, presented this year's awards at the Centennial Building in Whitby. Since 2002, the Celebrating Youth Awards have recognized Whitby youth aged 12 to 18 who demonstrate a clear and ongoing commitment to making Whitby a better place to live, work and play. The Celebrating Youth Awards are part of the Town's commitment to remaining a Platinum Youth Friendly Community that engages and involves youth. BHS Students Win Whitby Youth Awards Brooklin Youth Award recipients are, left to right, Lauren Ogden, Grace Lindsay, Razi Siddiqui and Amber Rhodes.