Dear fellow BHS alumni member:
In October 2020 the Alumni Association was asked by the BHS Administration for help with the monetary component which accompanied some of the over-40 awards and prizes usually delivered each year to deserving BHS graduating students at Convocation.
Two long-standing examples are the Wendell Roberts (female) and Robert Needham (male) awards that honour a combination of academic, athletic, and citizenship prowess – each has been accompanied by a small financial prize of $150.
On behalf of all the graduates from BHS, our Alumni Association (AABHS), donated $300, allowing the practice to continue for another year. A more recent award was initiated in 2000 in honour of a 1997 BHS grad award recipient who, as an engineering student at Waterloo University, unfortunately lost her life in an attempt to rescue a fellow student from drowning. The award was renamed the BHS Aileen Proudfoot Award presented annually for academic excellence and outstanding achievement in Student Life, which was also accompanied by a financial component.
The Alumni Association conducted a 4-month trial project, so that starting in June a long-term decision can be made by our Executive Committee. Members already participating in this project totalled 90 of 114 who agreed to consider donating. As a result, six 2021 graduates will receive grants and bursaries totalling $1,500.
Now our Association is looking at these monetary accompaniment awards, and specifically at best practices if this practice is to continue — should it keep going, and if so, in what form now that a more secure supporting budget has been restored?
We will we follow-up with complete details about the future of the Convocation Awards Fund, and your input would be greatly appreciated. Email your reaction – positive OR negative – to:
alumni@beaconsfieldhighschool.ca
