Coaches Choice Award recipients Rebecca Dubord and Chris Auger pose with three-, four- and five-star athlete award recipients after Thursday’s ceremonies. Johnny Baillargeon was also a recipient of the Coaches Choice Award. – Stephen Dafoe Photo
By Stephen Dafoe
Morinville – Excellence on and off the field was the focus of the Blue and White Awards held at Morinville Community High School (MCHS)Thursday afternoon. The annual award ceremony passes through and touches on all the sports and athletic activities the Morinville high school is known for and rewards the student athletes for their achievements in those sports as well as their growth as athletes, leaders and team players.
A total of Approximately 100 awards were presented during the 90-minute presentation, held, appropriately enough, in the school’s gymnasium.
Throughout the speeches given prior to the awards, teachers and coaching staff repeatedly commented on the athlete’s individual and collected determination and dedication to high school athletics.
MCHS teacher and athletics coach Kent Lessard said to be a student athlete takes a lot of sacrifice in their social lives. “We obviously push them to do as well as they can in sports,” Lessard said, adding the teams spend a lot of time practicing to achieve that end. “They still have to maintain their grades to be on the teams. It takes a special breed to achieve excellence in sports. Not a lot of kids are willing to do that, and we are very proud of our MCHS athletes.”
Lessard said he is pleased with the athletic year the school has enjoyed overall. “It was another great year for MCHS,” he said, adding everyone worked really hard.
But there is more to the school’s athletics program than winning medals and pennants. “One of the things we want to do is kind of instill a belief in each other and really develop character the kids can use in the future. We know that sports will not be something they get to continue all their lives. We’re hoping they learn some things from being on these teams that they can take with them as they continue in their life.”
