Like many other schools, North Park Secondary School ends its athletic year with a banquet to celebrate the accomplishments of coaches and athletes. The banquet celebrated North Park’s athletic prowess and dedication to improvement. Students and coaches gathered in the cafeteria on Thursday, May 25th, full of anticipation and admiration, ready to celebrate the achievements of the school’s athletes and coaches. Every moment of the dazzling banquet was filled with cheer and smiles. The thunderous applause and deafening cheers were testaments to North Park’s sports culture–one that is made up of resilience, sportsmanship and the undying pursuit of excellence.
The event was complete with clothed circular tables, a wide spread buffet and of course, impeccable style on the part of the attendees. Everyone was dressed to the nines, ready for the ceremony of a lifetime. Hearts were fluttering and conversations were roaring. Crowds celebrating the ends of a great year, and the incredible repeated success of North Park athletes. The award ceremony is a significant gesture of recognition, and Mr. Shelley explained exactly what it means to everyone here tonight.
“I think everybody likes to be recognized, sure everyone is going to say, that you’d like to win championships and whatnot, but at the same time I think it means a lot to themselves if you happen to be recognized and I think it’s great for even their friends to see that, just to show, that if you work really hard, are a great teammate and are enthusiastic, you get recognized.”
The event brought the grandeur of a real award ceremony as seen on TV to North Park and aimed to recognize the hard work and dedication of the athletes at North Park. Mr. Budhram (on the left) put it perfectly: “What today is is just a celebration of their accomplishments, their growth and just to take pride in what they have done this athletic year both for North Park, and the team that they played for. This celebration brings all of the student athletes together, and there are some that are going to receive the awards, and this gives the opportunity for people to cheer for their friends.” The banquet serves as a nice farewell to the athletic season, commemorating those who worked hard to make the year as successful as it was.
North Park has always stood tall amongst the athletic giants of Peel. This can be attributed to North Park’s amazing and compassionate coaches, and strong-willed athletes, who never fail to give their best for the success of their team. Star tennis player, Anandi Kalicharran, (on the right) had this to say about why our school is so successful: “Before I even went here, I went to Williams Parkway for middle school and I remember how big the athletics were here. And also Mr. Shelley, the coach of the tennis team, is actually a tennis player, so all of the teachers and all of the coaches are actual athletes. So they want the best and are able to coach us well and make us successful.” When those coaches have extensive knowledge, experience and passion for their respective sport, it is no wonder that North Park’s athletes are as successful as they are.
Celebrating athletes in high school encourages them to implement sports into their lives and to live a healthier lifestyle. Senior female athlete of the year award winner, Tanvi Vashisth, explained how she plans to involve athletics in her life in the future. “I recently got into fitness a lot because of the opportunities here, and also I plan on joining teams and even just playing for fun in university and beyond. The school has allowed me to get better at volleyball and badminton which I already enjoyed a lot.” When an active lifestyle is implemented into students from an early age, they are more likely to continue to maintain their interest in sports.
Here at North Park, athletics are more than just about winning championships, scoring the most points or being the best athlete. It is about the athletes and coaches growing as people and continuing North Park’s valued tradition of harboring an indomitable spirit and unmatched sportsmanship. This has always been a key tradition here at North Park and is one of the major reasons this school is as athletically successful as it is.
Mr. Zucconi explained why North Park has always been so successful athletically: “ I think the coaches that coach here are really positive role models and positive coaches. I think they’ve always worked really hard to create super positive teams. I know some schools that are super competitive and I think here at North Park we really pride ourselves on working hard to grow as athletes and as people together.”
When people think of award ceremonies, they consider rivalries and competition between the competitors. Athletes and coaches understand the significance of the awards, but they also recognize that their competitors are not their fellow North Park athletes. North Park’s athletic banquet’s purpose was to recognize improvement, teamwork and excellence on the North Park team.
THE NORTH STAR 