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Student trustee one of 10 B.C. students to be awarded $1,000 for community spirit

Outgoing School District No. 46 (SD46) student trustee Jessica Carroll is one of 10 students in B.C.
award
Jessica Carroll graduated from Elphinstone Secondary School.

Outgoing School District No. 46 (SD46) student trustee Jessica Carroll is one of 10 students in B.C. to receive a Community Spirit Award and a $1,000 Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) for her work supporting her peers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The award is a partnership between the Vancouver Whitecaps FC soccer franchise and the Bank of Montreal.

Carroll, who graduated from Elphinstone Secondary School, used her position on the District Student Leadership Team – a group of students who act as a bridge to the district’s administrative body – to gather student feedback about educational barriers students faced because of the pandemic, according to a release. That included sending out a newsletter and setting up a forum for students to ask about issues related to COVID-19.

As student trustee, she “worked to ease student stress and keep student bodies informed,” said the release. She also participated in an online buddy system to help secondary and elementary students bond during the pandemic, called Elphi Connects, which relied on a video communications platform.

Carroll told Coast Reporter she is “very proud and honoured” to receive the award. “Knowing that my school selected me as the recipient for a scholarship for students who showed leadership during COVID-19 reflects my values around social responsibility and citizenship and tells me that my efforts have been appreciated,” she said in an email.

Carroll received six other graduation awards, including the June Wilson Memorial Scholarship and the Headland Shields Award for the student graduating with the top academic standing. She was also voted Grad of the Year and was the class valedictorian.

In September, Carroll will attend the University of Victoria where she plans to major in biology, and has received a renewable Excellence Scholarship.