2004 Guelph Arts Council Youth Awards

News Release

Date: January 2, 2005

For over twenty years, Guelph Arts Council has acknowledged the excellence, creativity and talent of local youth in the performing and/or visual arts through the Youth Awards Program. This past year, six deserving students from Guelph's high schools were presented with a cash award in recognition of their efforts.

The Youth Awards are made possible through a special Youth Awards Trust Fund. In 1994 this fund was increased by an endowment from R.E. Smith and D.C. Jordan in support of the award for Centennial Collegiate.

Guelph Arts Council congratulates the 2004 recipients.

ALEXANDER BUCHANAN
John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute
(Visual Arts)

Alexander has taken every art course offered at John F. Ross. In this year's juried show he won both first and second in the acrylic painting divisions as well as third in the digital category. He works in a wide variety of media and has done commissions for people in the community. Alexander is attending Ontario College of Art and Design, majoring in drawing and painting. He would like to run his own design company.

KENDRA MCGUFFIN
Centennial Collegiate Vocational Institute
(Performing Arts)

Kendra was involved in the Symphonic Winds Concert Band for four years, playing flute, trumpet and piccolo. She served on Centennial Forum, organizing cultural and social events in the school. After applying her performing and choreographic skills to the school dance group, Dance Inc., she performed as a dancer and chorus member in Royal City Musical Production's Meet Me in St. Louis in 2000, and as choreographer in Guelph Little Theatre's Charlotte's Web.

JOHN WILLIAMS
Our Lady of Lourdes High School
(Performing Arts)

John has played clarinet in various school events such as Night of the Arts and the Arts Gala. He has also assisted in teaching other clarinetists in music class. He is currently enrolled in the Music Performance in Clarinet program at University of Toronto and aims to become a professional clarinetist performing jazz and classical, and composing music. He likes to spend time composing, painting and home recording.

CHRIS CIOSK
St. James High School
(Visual Arts)

Chris has been involved in a wide range of arts activities at school and has performed in school plays. With a friend, he designed and modelled for the school fashion show. He was also in charge of advertising school arts events and has written for the school paper. He loves film, and won Best Picture at the school film festival this year. He is attending Ryerson University in film studies, and would like to work his way into the film industry.

VERA WATSON
Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute
(Performing Arts)

Vera's responsibilities at GCVI ranged from managing school productions to organizing school assemblies. In 2002, she managed the student written production, A Little Obvious, Don't You Think? which represented GCVI in the Sears Drama Festival. Vera earned the Award of Excellence for Stage Management in the 2003 Upper Grand District competition. For the Sears Festival, she managed a production of Mavor Moore's The Pile, which was named Outstanding Production and went on to the Northwestern Regional competition in Burlington. Vera is currently studying technical theatre at York University.

NATHAN BLYTHE
College Heights Secondary School
(Performing Arts)

Nathan was an active participant in many of the arts programs at College Heights, becoming involved in both music and drama. With his Acoustic Guitar class, he performed in the Christmas Ceremony, and later demonstrated his dramatic skills in the school play, Nancy, the Spider, a drama about racial awareness. Nathan hopes to attend Toronto's Harris Institute in the Music Producing-Engineering Program.

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For more information, contact:
Sally Wismer
Guelph Arts Council
147 Wyndham St N, Suite 404
Guelph, Ontario N1H 4E9
Tel: (519) 836-3280
Fax: (519) 766-9212
E-mail: gac@sentex.net