To start off the Rotary Club of Penticton Sunrise鈥檚 ninth year of recognizing the Students of Month, Jordis Hickie from Penticton Secondary School is the 56th student the group is recognizing.
A Grade 11 student, Hickie鈥檚 selection was a no-brainer for the Rotary club, with outstanding academic and athletic achievements and inspiring leadership outside of school.
A model student-athlete, Hickie has earned grade averages of 95 per cent in Grade 9 and 97% in Grade 10 and her favorite subjects are math and biology.
Hickie also enjoys creating art, and several of her class oil pastel drawings have been shown in recent high school exhibitions at the Penticton Art Gallery.
鈥淛ordis is a talented, intelligent student with charisma, poise, strong core values and respect for others that make a huge difference to those around her,鈥� said art teacher Shauna Reid 鈥淎 natural leader, she is one of the most caring and driven students I have seen in my 20 years teaching.鈥�
Hickie excels in school sports, including track and field, basketball, and cross-country running. At the regional track and field meet in 91大黄鸭 last May, she won the Jr. Girls 800m, placed second in the 1500m and ran on both winning 4x100m and 4x400m Sr. Girls relay teams.
In 2022 and 2023 Hickie qualified for both cross-country and track and field provincials and in Summer 2022, she attended the BC Summer Games and was awarded a Games Leadership Bursary for outstanding accomplishments in academics, athletics and community leadership.
This impressive list of honor-roll achievements, both in the classroom and on the track, earned her Pen High鈥檚 Most Outstanding Grade 9 Student in 2022 and Top Junior Female Athlete in 2023.
Hickie is currently preparing for upcoming long-distance running meets, training six hours per week between her school and club teams.
Off the track, her athletic ability extends to competitive rope jumping as a nine-year veteran of the local Black Widow Rope Spinners club. She has been the BC Provincial Jump Rope Champion four times and Canadian National Champion twice, setting multiple records at both stages along the way.
This past July Hickie competed in the 2023 World Jump Rope Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and captured two silver medals in the World International Open Tournament.
鈥淚t is an absolute joy to coach Jordis. Her grit, focus and hard work have enabled her to claim multiple National titles and win two silver medals on the world stage,鈥� said Black Widow Rope Spinners coach Thomas Cunningham. 鈥淪he is destined to go far in life.鈥�
A member of Pen High鈥檚 leadership program, Hickie and a peer, Sophie Tatham, organized the school鈥檚 annual Terry Fox run. She is also a leader in the Be Kind Club which aims to promote a friendlier and safer school environment.
Her many leadership activities in the past year included taking a lead in the Penticton Provides advertisement team, where she advertised for Toys for Tots to Teens and 10,000 Tonight. She also volunteered once with the Canadian Food for Children charity to make care packages for needy children at home and abroad.
Although Hickie plans to attend university upon graduation, her area of study remains uncertain with optometry, education or chiropractic as possibilities.
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The Student of the Month is a Rotary Club of Penticton Sunrise project in partnership with local secondary schools. The award aims to recognize outstanding students for unique achievement in scholastic, extracurricular activities, community involvement, leadership, and service to others. The Rotary Club recognizes Penticton Secondary School and Princess Margaret Secondary School as project partners and Cascades Casino Penticton for their financial aid.
