Photo: Contributed
Vanessa McLennan is the March Rotary Club of Penticton Sunrise student of the month.
The Rotary Club of Penticton Sunrise calls their pick for March’s student of the month a “diamond in the rough.”
They are honouring Grade 11 Penticton Secondary student Vanessa McLennan with the title, calling her “exceptionally gifted, bubbly and deeply caring.”
Driven, focused and goal-orientated, McLennan has excelled scholastically while carrying a demanding course load of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics)-foundational subjects.
Last year in Grade 10 she recorded a stellar average grade of 96 per cent.
This year, she is tackling an array of courses, including AP English, pre-calculus and French, plus a special trip through her life sciences class to Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre on Vancouver Island.
Biology teacher Scott Harkness had nothing but praise.
“Vanessa, who is at the top of her Life Sciences class, is held in the highest esteem by classmates and teachers alike due to her strong work ethic and commitment to succeed. Her warm and caring nature, however, is her greatest asset,” Harkness said.
“She is, in fact, one of the most kind and considerate students I have ever taught and is always looking to help others enhance their conceptual understandings.”
Recently, McLennan learned that she was one of 960 Grades 10-to-12 students nationwide accepted into the innovative SHAD summer program for 2020.
The students are embedded for one-month on one of 19 Canadian university campuses where they receive instruction in and apply STEAM disciplines to address real-life public policy and entrepreneurship challenges.
“I’m excited because I will be interacting with many critically thinking teenagers and gain new insights into STEAM disciplines and promising career paths,” McLennan said.
As if her plate wasn’t full enough, McLennan also spent time this year creating a Math Club at KVR Middle School, with the aim of “making math fun for Grade 7 students while they are unknowingly acquiring basic math skills and applying them to everyday life.”
She is also an avid athlete, as a member of the Pen High girls’ aquatic team that won the provincial championship for a fourth consecutive year.
“Vanessa does an amazing job of instilling confidence and pride while providing comfort and safety for the young swimmers,” said Debra Donoghue, a teacher at KVR Middle School who has known McLennan as her Grade 7 teacher, senior swim coach and leadership mentor.
“She is a dearly loved role model for the Math Club students, caring for and inspiring them to apply themselves to do work that is challenging for some.”
During quiet moments, McLennan enjoys reading, walking her Maltese/Yorkie cross dog Theo, and recreational sports like hiking, skiing and wakeboarding with family and friends.
Since observing a veterinarian operate on a cat in middle school, McLennan has wanted to become a surgeon, explaining why she enjoys being a student leader in the Dissection Club.
Regardless of where her razor-sharp intellect may lead her, the Rotary Club feels she clearly possesses in abundance the personal defining traits needed to forge a productive and rewarding career with many exciting uncharted waters to be adeptly navigated along the way.
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