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37 of West Island's brightest students awarded scholarships
Chamber of commerce honours students from 13 high schools
Andrew Phillips
The Gazette
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Thirty-seven of the West Island's brightest high school students have received a helping hand to continue studies in science and technology.
"Discover the Stars," a scholarship program run by the West Island of Montreal Chamber of Commerce, awarded $1,000 to each of the students Wednesday evening at a ceremony at John Abbott College in Ste. Anne de Bellevue.
The winners came from 13 high schools from the two West Island school boards, Lester B. Pearson and Marguerite-Bourgeoys.
The two students judged to be the most outstanding in the group received an additional $3,000 each as winners of the annual Aileen Proudfoot Memorial Award.
It was established in 2000 by Andy and Grace Proudfoot, the parents of West Islander Aileen Proudfoot who died that year at the age of 19. Aileen Proudfoot, a first-year engineering student at the University of Waterloo, drowned while trying to save a fellow student from fast-flowing water in a drainage ditch on the Ontario campus.
Her parents established the award to honour the memory of their daughter and help other aspiring science students. This year's winners were Cynthia Rocha of Macdonald High School and Marc Richard of École Sécondaire des Sources.
Andy and Grace Proudfoot read excerpts from an essay by Aileen on her aspirations for life.
"Our daughter made it easy for us," Andy Proudfoot said later. "She was an exceptional person."
Eighteen companies and organizations sponsored awards for the 2008 version of "Discover the Stars." Carlyn Anderson of Beaconsfield High School won the award sponsored by The Gazette.
Since the program began in 1997, nearly 425 West Island students have shared $482,000 in scholarships for studies in science or technology.