Five teens were awarded $1,000 toward their post-secondary education as recipients of the 2021 Tiny Bursary Program. Many of the victors appeared virtually before council to read aloud their prize-winning essays about the pandemic, education, and even e-sports.
The five recipient graduates are: Zoe Baxter of Georgian Bay District Secondary School, Michael Bennett of St. Theresa’s Catholic High School, Adrianna Desroches of École Secondaire Le Caron, Emma Robillard of École Secondaire Le Caron, and Quade Post of Elmvale District High School.
Scoring for the maximum 500-word essays was based on subject matter, organization, and grammar and style, as judged by a four-member selection committee who made their decision after reviewing the 28 received entries.
Desroches read her heartfelt essay about COVID-19 and the mental health toll it took on both society and her own life throughout the pandemic.
“When we hit our first lockdown, I didn’t realize just how much this could impact my life until I had to pick up a second full-time job to help bring an income to my home,” read Desroches, who continued that layoffs in the workforce directly affected the stability of her household, causing her to undertake factory work with her father throughout the school year.
“The impact of stressing over my schoolwork, bringing in an income for my family, and possibly losing friends was incredibly overwhelming,” which caused panic attacks for the teen. “To help my mental health, I started journalling, talking to a therapist, and calling the Kids Help Line.
“And now I’m back on my feet, I’m back to being confident and those anxious and stressed feelings are gone, for now. But they will be back,” Desroches shared.
Tiny Mayor George Cornell praised Desroches for her raw take on life during the pandemic.
“I really appreciate your honesty, your openness, and frankness with what you went through. And good for you to reach out and get some help; I’m glad that things are getting back to whatever that ‘new normal’ is going to look like,” said Cornell.
Speaking to council next was Emma Robillard, who will be attending Brock University for child health care; her essay asked the question: Does the school system adequately aid and teach children about mental health?
“Despite having the appreciation for my education that I do,” Robillard began, “I believe that the specific education curriculum that tends to be taught to students from a very young age -- myself included -- is most certainly flawed and lacks certain elements that most children would certainly benefit from.”
Robillard continued by saying the inability to recognize and handle failure can increase unhealthy negative emotions within children, and offered a possible solution.
“Vital resources, such as self-help mechanisms, were not necessarily focused on in schooling. And I think that is a very big reason why so many have a descending well-being in this day and this age.”
Cornell thanked Robillard, acknowledging how mental health issues became increasingly prevalent as the pandemic continued, noting how Olympic gymnast Simone Biles had addressed and managed herself on the world stage.
An essay on the viability of e-sports as an official sport in the Olympics was read by Michael Bennett, who graduated in 2020 and will be attending Sault College for aviation technology.
“Olympic athletes must master body and mind to strive to make a standing; electronic sports, or e-sports, could never compete to combine both aspects to the same level,” read Bennett.
The essay continued to weigh the real world dedication physical athletes pour themselves into over a lifetime for gold and glory, while highlighting the transient challenges which a digital competitor faces during the four year span of a video game in obsolescence.
“Video games and e-sports serve as illusions to human beings that alienate us from the outside world. The aim of the Olympic games is quite the opposite -- to bring all human beings together using our one common cultural element: the human body,” Bennett concluded.
Cornell recognized the passion in Bennett’s essay and asked if the young man was an e-gamer himself, to which the response was a hearty no.
Zoe Baxter, who will be pursuing criminal justice at Nipissing University, also spoke to her essay about the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health.
“From children to front-line workers, the COVID-19 pandemic affects everyone’s health in many ways, like stress, anxiety, depression, or even suicide,” Baxter read, adding further symptoms and causes within many segments of the population.
Cornell fully agreed with Baxter’s essay, and shared that “the mental health toll on everybody over the last 18 months has been very challenging.”
Quade Post was unavailable at the virtual event to read their prize-winning essay, also on the pandemic’s effect on mental health.
Cornell said the essays and applicants "have shown that our future is in good hands.”
Presentations for the 2021 Tiny Bursary Program can be viewed through the Tiny Township YouTube channel.
