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Claremont kids are alright

Grad class scores scholarships, grades and accolades
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Graduating Claremont secondary students Sarah Darcel, Ford Smith, Macgregor Macintosh, Shaye Tudor and Ella Milloy lean on Jai Pereira during their last time at Claremont. The crew was there for the school’s senior awards ceremony on Wednesday, including Smith, the 2017 valedictorian. Travis Paterson/News Staff

Claremont secondary’s Ridge Theatre was packed on the final Wednesday of June for the school’s Senior Awards Ceremony.

Among the 2017 graduating class was valedictorian Ford Smith. He was honoured with the valedictorian award, presented by former principal Linda Giles (1998-2000), and also earned one of 33 Loran Scholars Foundation awards handed out across Canada.

“[The class] has been a good crew to be around,” said Smith. “It’s been great having people around you who are great at what they do, you feed off it.”

Smith was happy taking on the role of valedictorian, and the responsibility of the speech that went along with that.

“It’s better he does it than me,” said friend Macgregor Macintosh, who joked he can’t be trusted with the mic as he’s seen too many viral videos of valedictorians going ‘rogue,’ or off script in their final speech.

With the Loran Award, Smith struck one of the bigger scholarly awards in Canada. It’s valued at $100,000 over four years. He earned it through strong marks (with a 94 per cent grade average) and a lot of volunteering, particularly with the ocean search and rescue outfit, RCM-SAR Station 33 in Oak Bay.

Smith is putting the award towards a degree in health and sciences at the University of B.C. It means going in a different direction than most of the students he’s come to know at Claremont, including good pal Sarah Darcel. The accomplished swimmer is headed to the University of California, Berkeley, to compete in the NCAA and to study integrated biology (pre-med).

“There’s certainly a lot of memories here, but even with a lot of us going separate ways we’ll keep in touch,” Darcel said.

Darcel is targeting the FISU World Summer Universiade Games in Taipei, Aug. 19 to 30, where she’ll represent Canada and UC Berkeley in her key events, the 200- and 400-metre individual medleys (and compete in other events as well).

Macintosh, meanwhile, used his 96 per cent grade average to enrol in the University of Western Ontario to study medical sciences. Among the Claremont grads heading out of town this summer are Jai Pereira, the grandson of former principal Linda Giles, who’s enrolled in biomedical sciences at the University of McGill.

Also going to McGill is Ella Milloy, while Shaye Tudor is going to the University of Victoria, and over the next four years will pursue a spot on Canada’s team at the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup, and a degree in biology and marine conservation.

Tudor’s versatility on the rugby pitch gave her plenty of options to play in Canadian universities. But Tudor chose UVic for the chance to be near the national rugby program and her club team, the Castaway Wanderers.