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Andrea Staples selected as Tisdale's volunteer of the year

Tisdale honoured those who won provincial and national awards at an appreciation night Nov. 16 
tisdale-appreciation-night-2023
Provincial and national award winners from Tisdale and district were honoured at an appreciation night Nov. 16. From left are Braxton Rodgers, McKenzie Squires, Harper Thiessen, Jennifer Summach, Alison Summach, Mackenzie Thesen, Sefryn Larsen, Oskar Curry, Tori Baerg, Lexi Mutimer & Andrea Staples.

TISDALE – The Town of Tisdale hosted their annual appreciation night Nov. 16 to honour the volunteers and the residents for their accomplishments in sport, culture and recreation.

The following were provincial award recipients:

  • Tori Baerg - 2023 Conservatory Canada Medal for Excellence Theory 2
    • Baerg is 15 years old and lives on a grain farm near Carrot River. Baerg has done well in both singing and piano and this year is receiving the award for highest marks in Saskatchewan in Theory 2.
  • Sefryn Larsen – 2023 Conservatory Medal of Excellence Grade 4 Classical Violin
    • Larsen is 12 years old and lives near Alysham. Larsen plays the Violin and piano and is received this award for grade 4 violin.
  • Allison Summach – 2023 Conservatory Canada Medal of Excellence Level 2 Contemporary Idioms Piano
    • Summach is 10 years old and receieved this award for Grade 2 piano
  • Jennifer Summach – 2023 Conservatory Canada Medal for Excellence in grade 5 piano and grade 5 classical voice
    • Summach is 14 years old and lives near Bjorkdale. Summach received the Elva Maria Wiltsie Memorial Scholarship for the highest marks nationally in multiple musical disciplines.
  • Mackenzie Thesen – 2023 Conservatory Canada Medal for Excellence grade 3 violin
    • Thesen is 13 years old and is in grade 8 in Carrot River. Thesen received this award for having the highest mark in Saskatchewan for grade 3 violin and received the Harry and Sylvia Noval Memorial Scholarship, a national award from the Conservatory Canada.

Certificates and plaques were handed out to the following provincial and national winners:

  • McKenzie Squires – Provincial 3D High School Girls Champion Archery
  • Braxton Rodgers – NASP 3D Target Middle School Boys Canadian National Champion Archery
  • Austin Woods and Jakeb Cortus – 2022 Canadian Junior Football Club with the Regina Thunder
  • Harper Thiessen – U9 Female Wakeboard Gold – Thiessen is 7 years old
  • Osker Currey – U9 Male Wakeboard Gold – Currey is 8 years old
  • Lexi Mutimer – Gold medal in 2023 Jr. B High Point Gymkhana Provincial competition
  • Allyssa Svenson – Gold medal in Star 8 – Starskate Provincials in 2023 and Gold in the 2023 Saskatchewan Winter Games

Volunteer of the year was presented by Jenna Holt to Andrea Staples.

”Andrea, you are more than deserving of this recognition and I hope to illustrate your exceptional contributions you have done for this community," said Holt in her speech. "Andrea has dedicated countless hours and unwavering commitment to making a positive impact in Tisdale. Whether it is organizing community events, volunteering at local non-profits, lending a helping hand to those in need, facilitating suicide bereavement support groups, or, attending crisis calls, Andrea has consistently gone above and beyond to improve the lives of others.

"As an active member of our community, Andrea has consistently demonstrated an extraordinary level of selflessness and dedication. I am proud to confirm that Andrea has been a volunteer for 25 years at Northeast Regional Victim Services (NERVS) but Andrea does not just volunteer for NERVS and deserves to be recognized for all her volunteer work in Tisdale.

"One of Andrea's most notable achievements is her tireless work with local non-profits like NERVS, Suicide Bereavement Group, United Appeal, Better Together, North East Outreach and Support Services, and countless more.

"Through her leadership and strong organizational skills, she has successfully raised awareness and funds for all these causes, leaving a lasting impact on our community. Andrea has not only inspired others to get involved but has also fostered a sense of unity and compassion among the community members.

"Andrea's positive attitude, creativity, and problem-solving abilities have been instrumental in overcoming challenges and achieving remarkable outcomes. Her ability to motivate and engage others has resulted in increased participation and strengthened community bonds.

"In conclusion, Andrea’s exceptional dedication, leadership, and outstanding contributions to our community make her a more than deserving recipient of this award and we want to say thank you Andrea for all that you do and being a true hero in every sense of the word."

Lesley Thibault, Tisdale's recreation and parks director, acknowledged the dedicated coaches and instructors who take local youth under their wing and guide them to strive to be their personal best.

"Being the best at something in our province or country is an impressive accomplishment to celebrate and the Town of Tisdale is very proud to honour all of tonight’s individuals."