The 2024 YourTV Youth Achievement Awards, powered by the Optimist Club of Cornwall, celebrated the exceptional talents and contributions of 24 young individuals from all four local school boards on June 12th at the Cornwall Civic Complex. For the past decade, this event has honoured the accomplishments of youth in the community.
Terry Muir, Past President of The Optimist Club of Cornwall, expressed his admiration for the event, stating, “This is my favoriteevent because we get a read on what the youth are doing in our community. I’m in awe. They do amazing stuff, giving us so much hope for the future.” Muir also highlighted the positive atmosphere, saying, “We’re seeing the energy in the room where people are happy for each other. We see the youth coming up, not expecting an award.”
Gabriel Riviere-Reid, YourTV Cornwall Producer, shared similar sentiments, noting, “This is one of our favourite events of theyear. We get to hear the amazing things these youth are doing in our community, and we have to remember that the future is in really good hands. Sometimes, it’s easy to get a little discouraged about the state of the world, but when you hear about what these children are doing and what we get to celebrate tonight, we know that the future is in very good hands. We’re proud to be part of celebrating these amazing youth.”
Bill Halman, Assistant to the CEO at The Happy Popcorn Co. and event emcee, added, “This is the fourth year that I’ve been able to host this event, and every year, I get blown away by the young people in the audience winning these awards or being finalists. When I say blown away, I’m truly blown away by the amount that these kids do. I am so excited for the future of Cornwall.”
In the “At My Best” category, winners included Heavenly Derouchie from St. Peter Catholic School (Grade 4 to 6), Lily RoseKilbride from Our Lady Of Good Counsel (Grade 7 to 8), Lucas Boty Bi from L’Héritage (Grade 9 to 10), and Darryn Murray Wylie from Holy Trinity (Grade 11 to 12). Finalists included Brandi Leduc, Nevaeh Tremblay, Heidi Baumann, and Simon Gibeault.
For the “Giving Back” category, Rhys MacDonald from Viscount Alexander Public School (Grade 4 to 6), Kaylee Lascelle from St.Andrew’s Catholic School (Grade 7 to 8), Sevanna Duplante from St. Joseph’s Catholic Secondary School (Grade 9 to 10), and Sabrina Midou from L’Héritage (Grade 11 to 12) took top honours. While John Bonneville, Misha Bunten, Abdussalam Elkurbo, and Kalem Payment were the finalists.
Lastly, in the “Kindness is Cool” category, winners were Shamus Sauvé from Sacred Heart Catholic School (Grade 4 to 6), Travis Fortier from St. Matthews Catholic Secondary School (Grade 7 to 8), Devin Anderson from Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School (Grade 9 to 10), and Valeria Bishop Gomez from St. Joseph’s Catholic Secondary School (Grade 11 to 12). The finalists in this category were Sophia Tassakos, Riya Alagusamy, Brock Huskinson, and Demi Sobanjo.
In addition, there were video messages from MP Eric Duncan, MPP Nolan Quinn, Cornwall Mayor Justin Towndale, and various school board trustees celebrating these youth achievements. The 2024 Youth Achievement Awards showcased the inspiring accomplishments of Cornwall’s youth, leaving the community optimistic and excited for the future.
