The Gazette's new Stars of Tomorrow series will highlight inspiring young leaders ages 19 and under in St. Albert, Morinville, or Sturgeon County each month. If you know of a young leader who deserves the spotlight, please email our newsroom: [email protected].
For Grade 4 student Josh Wasylyshyn, helping others out with their school work is just as important as finishing his own. Josh also takes initiative to be proactive during times when his class might get a little out of hand.
“If we’re being too loud, I ask them to be a little bit quieter,” said Josh.
An enthusiastic hockey player, Josh helps to foster a positive attitude both on and off the ice.
“Sometimes in games people get mad,” he said. “We go on the bench and they’re like … ‘We should have got that puck, how did he get it in the net?’ and I’m just like, ‘We did good guys.’”
On top of being involved in sports — Josh runs track and field and plays baseball — he loves to celebrate his heritage and take to the stage as a Ukranian dancer.
Dancing since the age of six, Josh is currently part of the Chumak 1 performance group with the Cheremosh School of Dance.
He said performing requires a lot of energy and can often mean appearing like what you are doing is effortless, even though inside you know you’re working hard and getting tired.
Though performing is effortful, Josh said being able to bring positive energy to a crowd is ultimately what brings him the most joy.
His mom, Shawna, said her son “lives for the stage.”
“When he goes on stage he just completely lights up,” Shawna said. “It’s amazing to watch.”
Josh now has a long-term ambition to become an actor just like his favourite star Ryan Reynolds, whom Josh said is his favourite because he is Canadian.
Next fall, Josh will enter Grade 5 at Ronald Harvey School. He said the Grade 5 students from this past year wrote letters to him and his classmates about what to expect in the coming year.
As a result, Josh said he is most excited to learn more about history, such as the Great Depression, and participate in a math fair. His favourite subject in school this year has been Language Arts, where he has had the opportunity to develop a love of reading.
“You get to work with words, and learn new vocabulary,” Josh said.
Recently, Josh enjoyed reading Greg Wilson’s Bottle of Light along with his classmates, and enjoys reading at home. Currently, he is interested in reading biographies about historical figures such as Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley in the Who HQ series.
Josh said he is looking forward to the upcoming year, and thinks it will be great. He said it will be even better if his friend Adam, whom he has known since kindergarten, is in his class again — this was the first year they had been in separate classes.
“We know a lot about each other, and he cheers me up when I’m sad," Josh said.
In an email, Josh’s teacher Trish Swinson described him as a “strong student.”
“He … gets along well with his peers, and is overall a terrific kid."
