As Sebastian Morin accepted the 2014 Healthy Youth Role Model Award on Wednesday, only
one person seemed to
be surprised.
That would be the Creighton Community School student himself.
“It’s unexpected – I didn’t even know I was nominated,” Morin, a Grade 12 student, said after accepting the award, sponsored by local service providers and committees.
Friendly and humble, Morin, 17, met all of the criteria for the award, and then some.
The Denare Beach teen is proud to lead a drug-free lifestyle and has been involved with a number of extracurricular activities.
This isn’t the first time Morin has been singled out as a role model.
In 2013 the aspiring paramedic was featured in a calendar celebrating the outstanding Aboriginal youth of northern Saskatchewan.
Well deserved
For Stacy Lair, principal of Creighton Community School, Morin’s latest honour is well deserved.
“Sebastian has always made good choices and been involved in lots of extracurricular opportunities,” said Lair.
Tiffany Ealey, an addictions counsellor with award co-sponsor CADAC, has known Morin for some time through educational programs offered at the Denare Beach youth drop-in centre.
“He’s a youth that I’ve consistently seen make positive choices throughout his life,” said Ealey.
With 14 nominees for the award, Ealey said judges faced a difficult decision in selecting a winner.
“It gets harder all the time,” she said.
Morin’s award consists of a personalized plaque, a cash prize and a box of gifts that includes a water bottle and a digital coin-counting money jar.
Creighton Community School will for the next year house a traveling plaque that lists Morin as well as previous winners dating back to the award’s inception in 2002.
Ealey believes the award serves a valuable role.
“The healthy choice isn’t always the popular choice, and it’s important to recognize the youth who are making those choices,” she said.
Morin accepted his award during an assembly in the school gymnasium, earning a hearty round of applause from his fellow students.
The presentation coincided with National Addictions Awareness Week.
Of the 14 nominees, only two were from outside Creighton Community School. Also nominated were: Sky Bighetty; Peter Ross; Kelsey Farkus; Sarah Morrison; Taylor Kryschuk; Nikki Madarash; Khariz Kawa; Calum Tyson; Jordan Schanowski; Paige Walker; Drew Berezitzky; Dimitri Morin; and Jonathan Gardiner.
The award is sponsored by CADAC, Flin Flon Community Youth Resource Centre, Flin Flon-Creighton FASD Committee and Flin Flon-Creighton National Addictions Awareness Week Committee.
