Amélie Drasse

A student committed to breaking the circle of isolation and bullying through school and community involvement

It’s always distressing to hear stories of bullying at school. But sometimes these stories do have a happy ending. And this was the case with Amélie Drasse, a young withdrawn girl who was a victim of bullying at the end of elementary school, but who has now become a proud teenager who was elected personality of the year at the end of Secondary 4. What was the student at De la Magdeleine high school’s recipe for success? Student, cultural and community involvement and sports.

Ritchie Succès

A student committed to changing his destiny by getting involved

At the age of 12, Ritchie Succès had already gravitated towards street gangs and was well on his way to becoming a little gangster. At school, he called all the shots. Strongly drawn to committing a thousand and one offences of all kinds, Ritchie falsely believed that the more of them he committed, the more he was proving himself! One day, while on his way to meet one of his cousins – an older boy with a negative influence -, he learned that the cousin in question had just been found dead, shot down in the street. Ritchie was in shock. And it was at that moment that he realized he had but one desire: to live a happy life.

SlowPopShow 2012

A project committed to showcasing the artistic talents of students while financing the reconstruction of a school in Haiti

Sing for Haiti! This is what Alexandre Lemieux, a student at Augustin-Norbert-Morin high school, chose to do to help his school raise funds to finance the reconstruction of Eddy Pascal college located on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. But singing alone was simply out of the question. In launching the SlowPopShow, Alexandre wanted to bring together loads of artistic students, including singers, dancers, musicians and even set designers, so as to offer a noteworthy and comprehensive show and, more importantly, generate a significant financial impact.

Renée Pronovost

A counsellor committed to helping students discover the pleasures of getting involved and pushing back their limits

There is nothing instinctive about getting involved in projects, doing volunteer work or giving of one’s time. And this is the case among both youth and adults. So in order to develop a taste for social commitment, people often need a little helping hand, a word of encouragement or even just an inviting smile. At Mgr-A.-M.-Parent high school, the helping hand, encouraging word and inviting smile goes by the name of Renée Pronovost, the counsellor in spiritual life and community involvement who, ever since her arrival four years ago, has quite simply transformed students with her joie de vivre, dynamism and love of getting involved.

Michelle Houde

A student committed to contributing to student life, humanitarian aid, the arts and environmental protection

Going by what Michelle Houde, a Secondary 5 student at Collège Saint-Sacrement, has accomplished so far in her life, the first adjective to come to mind is “impressive.” But, when you listen to her talk with a passion about all her various projects and involvement, it would be more tempting to describe her actions as astounding. Student life, humanitarian aid, community engagement, environmental protection, the performing arts, musical concerts, she’s everywhere and puts her abundant energy to good use in every project.

Frédéric Menger-Dumas

A student committed to passing his courses in order to ensure a brighter future for himself

Frédéric admits upfront that at school, for the past two years, everything he has put his hand to has been met by failure. Today, he is grateful to the adults around him who gave him the means to discover his acute sense of creativity. For Frédéric, it was extracurricular activities, and more specifically through his talents in drawing and his interest in martial arts, that made all the difference. “In all honesty, I went from being a student who was failing every subject to a motivated student with the potential to succeed. I think that, essentially, even though everything changed thanks to my introduction to the arts, my story is above all one of self-esteem.”