Local products were among the big winners when Queen Margaret’s School held its annual athletic awards banquet last month.
Skye Koyote of Duncan was named Junior Athlete of the Year and also won MVP for rugby and the Spirit Award for soccer; Danica Moschenross of Mill Bay was named Midget Athlete of the Year as well as receiving the Vernon Trophy for the midget equestrian program and the junior soccer MVP award; Olivia Kelly of Duncan shared the Sports Captain Award with Nanaimo’s Sydney Ball and also took home the Spirit Award for rugby; and graduating student Alexis Elliott, also of Duncan, was named MVP for senior girls soccer and received special recognition for her years of dedication to QMS athletics.
Julienne Chipesia, who calls Inuvik, Northwest Territories home, was the Senior Athlete of the Year and MVP for cross-country, and received the Spirit Award for swimming. Nairobi Ruiz Limon of California won the Dunlop Trophy for the junior equestrian program, and Heather Ellard-Webster of Victoria earned the Burton Cup for the senior equestrian program. Muskaan Rai of Nanaimo claimed the Spirit of the Royals Award.
“This year’s athletes really impressed me,” QMS senior athletic director Marlene Donaldson said. “They were dedicated to improving their skills, being positive role models for their peers, were disciplined in their work ethic and displayed incredible growth. I’m excited to welcome them back in September and kick off an exciting year.”
Head of School Wilma Jamieson also praised the athletes for their ability to lift each other up.
“To me, empowerment means fostering an environment of trust, learning from successes and analyzing failures,” she said. “We want to celebrate QMS athletes and teams for taking risks, continuously searching for ways to improve and throughout the process, make each other stronger.”
