Dozens of Paul Kane High School students were honoured for their hard work and dedication at its annual awards night Wednesday, but one student in particular went home with a whopping 16 awards to her name.
While at Paul Kane, Manon Gaudet was enrolled in the Advanced Placement program, an internationally recognized enrichment program for gifted students. Offered in more than100 countries, the program allows students to obtain credit or advanced placement in first-year university courses.
“I really liked it because we were like a little family,” Gaudet said of the program.
“It was fun.”
In her final year, she received a perfect score on three Advanced Placement exams.
Some of the awards she received on Wednesday include the Social Studies Award, subject awards in English, biology and chemistry, and the Governor General’s Academic Medal, which is given to Paul Kane’s valedictorian each year.
“It was a little unexpected,” said Gaudet, of her numerous accolades.
A self-proclaimed “stress ball,” she said staff at Paul Kane were especially helpful during her final year.
“They were all very kind. They helped me through a lot,” she said.
Gaudent said she is especially grateful to one teacher in particular, Ruby Solomon, who taught her in grades 10 through 12.
“Very dedicated, very committed and very intense,” said Solomon, of her first impressions of Gaudet in Grade 10.
“Then it changed. From Grade 10 to Grade 12, I just saw this drastic change of a little girl who walked into my room, to a woman that left my room last year,” she added.
“She is just a pleasure. She gets things and she’s a thinker.”
Gaudet said Solomon was a big help in reducing her stress levels during her final year.
Now an arts major at the University of Alberta, Gaudet said she would like to major in history and go on to be a curator.
“Yeah, I can see her doing that,” said Solomon.
“I can actually see her in a museum, running a museum.”
