Newmarket student Jack Hickey said the pandemic was a boon to his learning, though recognized how hard it was for many others.
The Sacred Heart Catholic High School student topped in his graduating year with a 99.33 per cent average.
Although the pandemic harmed his school social life, Hickey said he learned to work efficiently during it.
“I take a lot of pride in what I do. I like being good at things, so it’s less about the actual mark as it is being able to look at what I did over the school year and say it’s my best work,” he said.
York Catholic District School Board announced its top scholars for the school year, representing the highest averages in a graduating year. Four graduating students from across the district earned perfect 100 per cent averages: Giuseppe Carito, Rachel Gaspar, Maya Paladino and Sarvnaz Ale Mohammad.
But Hickey came in just behind them, able to excel in physics, chemistry, advanced functions, visual arts, music, calculus and computer science.
“The way I go about school isn’t about memorizing things. I like to understand things and I think that helps a lot,” he said, adding it can serve well to navigate tests.
Board director of education Domenic Scuglia said it represents one of the biggest achievements of these students’ lives.
“This is an outstanding academic achievement and we send you heartfelt congratulations and wish you all the best on your next journey,” Scuglia said in a news release. “The success of all of our top scholars is also due in part to their parents, families, friends, teachers, education workers, administrators, student services personnel, Catholic education centre staff, and trustees who have supported and encouraged them.”
The next part of Hickey’s journey will be at Queen’s University in Kingston. He said he has an entrance scholarship and will be going into computer programming, with the idea of specializing in artificial intelligence.
Although he excelled the past couple of years, he said he wanted to keep in mind that the pandemic hampered the learning of many others.
“I was really lucky,” he said. “There were a lot of students where the pandemic acted as an entire barrier … I got a very high average, but it wasn’t that way for everyone.”
He called the pandemic a “double-edged sword,” and said he missed all the parts of school hampered by it, such as clubs and other social activities.
Still, the Newmarket student looks positively at his achievements. He also earned a bronze Governor General’s Academic Medal at his graduation.
“I’m very proud of myself,” he said. “That was my goal, studying and working so hard for the past two years.”
