As part of the 35th Convocation ceremonies on June 18-19, Conestoga College President John Tibbits will present to graduating students Conestoga's three major College-wide awards: the Conestoga College Mastercraft Award, the Governor General's Academic Medal and the James W. Church Achievement Award.
The Mastercraft Award was established by former President Kenneth E. Hunter. It recognizes outstanding technical achievement by an individual student or a student team in the creation of a program-related project. Eligible projects must first win a program-level competition to qualify for College-wide judging. The prize consists of an inscribed and framed program shield, plus a cheque for $500.
Jeff Lotz of the Mechanical Engineering Technology - Design and Analysis program will receive this year's Mastercraft Award at the afternoon ceremony on Wednesday, June 18. He is from Fergus, graduated in 1997 from Centre Wellington District High School and is currently employed by Tigercat Industries in Brantford as a mechanical designer. He won for his research and design of a remotely operated submersible vehicle. The project included design of the entire vehicle, a 1,000-page report, 205 engineering drawings and a three-dimensional computer design of the model. His design is entirely original. He is now at work on a modified design, which is partially built and which may be operational this summer.
The Governor General's Academic Medal is a bronze medallion and award certificate, commissioned by the Office of the Governor General of Canada. It goes to the graduating student who has achieved the highest academic standing for all courses in a diploma-level program of study.
Lai Suet Chan will receive the medal at the afternoon ceremony on Thursday, June 19. A student graduating from the Computer Programmer program, she achieved an academic average of 95.14 per cent. In her native Hong Kong, she received her high school diploma in 1992 from YWCA Hioe Tjo Yeong College. In 1995, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Hong Kong. She immigrated to Canada in 2000.
The James W. Church Achievement Award is named in honour of Conestoga's founding president. It recognizes excellence in a combination of areas: achievement in learning, concern for the dignity of the individual and a personal contribution of benefit to society. The award consists of an inscribed and framed program shield, plus a cheque for $1,000.
This year's winner is Kim Kyle-Letsch of the Educational Assistant program. She will receive the Church Award at the evening ceremony on Thursday, June 19. In addition to an outstanding academic record in her program, she has engaged in many volunteer activities to assist individual members of the community. These include involvement in life skills programs and programs for the developmentally challenged at Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School, the reading program at Plattsville District Public School and the assisted transportation program for Alzheimer sufferers operated by Community Care Concepts of Woolwich, Wellesley and Wilmot. For three years, she has worked for the Extend-A-Family Association of Kitchener-Waterloo as a special-services-at-home provider for a developmentally disabled individual. She has also found time to work as a school bus driver in Oxford County for the past seven years. Married with four children, Kim Kyle-Letsch resides near Washington.
CONTACT: John Sawicki, 519-748-5220, ext. 3336, jsawicki@conestogac.on.ca