BONNYVILLE – A Bonnyville teenager is being recognized for giving back to the community.
Morgan Gillis, Grade 10 student at Notre Dame High School (NDHS), is the recipient of a Citizenship Award from the Youth Helping Youth Alberta organization in the Top 20 Under 20 Category.
Youth Helping Youth is a student-run, non-profit organization that promotes opportunities for youth across Canada.
The program, which is in its first year of recognizing Alberta’s youth, seeks to highlight those under 20 years of age who have shown qualities worthy of recognition. The categories someone can receive an award in include resiliency, compassion, leadership, vision, and citizenship.
According to Gillis, she was one of four to receive a citizenship award in the province.
Gillis, along with the other nominees, were chosen from a pool of students from across Alberta after having their names submitted by their school.
When asked why Gillis thought she was chosen for the honour, she said it was because she’s “involved in many different aspects of the community.”
She’s a member of a number of groups at her school, including the social committee, safety committee, and community committee. She was also chosen as a member of the Education Minister Adriana LaGrange’s Youth Council, which consists of 40 junior and senior high school students from across the province.
One of the recent projects Gillis was involved in was painting the outdoor stairs at NDHS as part of the outdoor beautification project.
“Another student and I are representatives for the community committee and lots of the things we wanted to plan and organize were kind of shut down because of COVID-19. We thought the school beautification project would be something we could do to create positivity in the community but still (follow) the COVID-19 guidelines.”
Gillis added, “With COVID-19, I noticed a lot of students are lacking positivity. By having a welcoming message going into your school every day, it could create some of the positivity that is lacking or needed in the school.”
NDHS Principal Vince Spila said that Gillis goes above and beyond when it comes to building up the community spirit in the facility.
“Morgan wants to ensure that the school is a welcoming place for students, staff, parents, and the community.”
Gillis also keeps herself busy while she’s not in school. She’s involved in the local figure skating club, volunteers at the Eastbourne Community Hall, and will be a youth advisor at the local youth club, the Hive, when it opens.
“I love helping others,” Gillis said. “It’s one of my favourite things and I just like being involved.”
The awards were presented at a virtual ceremony on Sunday, June 19.
