Downsview Secondary School
Student of the Week
February 19, 2024
Jurelle M.S.
Downsview, for the week of February 19th, your Student of the Week is Jurelle M.S.
Jurelle is in the eleventh grade.
Let’s get right to the praise for Jurelle, as DSS staff members had much to say. First, hear this, from Mr Wallace: “Jurelle is cheerful, smart, kind, and a great friend. He is a stalwart of the Robotics team and Tools of Possibility. Energy, collegiality, positivity, forward-looking, that's Jurelle; but these attributes are a choice. Jurelle has made a choice to build his life and help the people around him. That choice has required strength. He has more than enough reason not to be positive, but he is determined to follow another path. None of us escape the burdens of this life; often we need to see how others handle adversity. Jurelle teaches us: Care, strive, persevere, use your gifts, laugh. Thanks, Jurelle.”
And from Mr Hum: “During the Pandemic, Jurelle was in my phys ed class. Although it was a challenge to do physical activity with a mask on, Jurelle never once complained. He accepted that challenge and was flexible enough to navigate what was needed to be successful. Fast forward a few years and Jurelle is still persevering through many of life's challenges. Jurelle is a strong young man with a ton of potential. Even though I haven't taught Jurelle in the last little while, he stops by to say hello with a big smile on his face. When you ask his friends, they all say Jurelle is a very friendly guy! Jurelle, keep up the great work and continue to approach life's challenges with a big smile!”
Mr Kindred has this to say: “I had the honour and the privilege of teaching Jurelle grade 11 English last semester. My distinct recollection of him is, funnily enough, a corn dog. Each day, Jurelle would come in (somewhat) late, with a hastily wrapped lunch in one hand. Oftentimes, Jurelle's meal was a foil wrapped corn dog--devoid of any ketchup, mustard, or even hot sauce for that matter. Curious, I inquired as to why there was no accompaniment of condiment to his meal and he always told me that he "never remembered to bring the ketchup" or that "it didn't need it." I could go on for minutes about how wonderful a student Jurelle is, and he is definitely that. His work demonstrated a level of sophistication and dedication and his contributions to the class were essential in maintaining a flow state that educators like myself strive for. But for some reason, the corn dog stays with me. Such is the power, and perhaps the limitation of memory. We often forget the things we wish to remember, whereas the seemingly superfluous remains trapped in the intricate web of our gray matter, until our dying day. From now on, whenever I see Jurelle dining on a corn dog, I will make sure to offer him, at the very least, some hot sauce.”
Dr Syal adds: “I have had the pleasure of teaching Jurelle for the past three years. It feels like 20 years.I have taught all his older siblings. He is one of the jewels in the family. He is part of the robotic team. He is the captain of the team. He works very hard and makes sure all the teammates are on task. He is not afraid to express opinion. As a student, he is a pleasure to teach. I wish him the best of luck with his future endeavours.”
Hear this, from Ms D’Andrea: “Jurelle is a wonderful student in our Arts & Culture SHSM program and I am so proud of his hard work. He represented Downsview well at the PC building workshop at TMU where he built a computer from scratch and learned from Dr. Kris Alexander. He is also co-manager for our Stage Crew and has been extremely helpful in setting up our events in the auditorium. He is kind, reliable and intelligent. I am very proud of Jurelle! Congrats!”
And finally, from Mr Henriques: “Jurelle has always shown exemplary leadership and has been a pleasure to teach during my time at Downsview. Always cool and collected, this is a much deserved accolade for a student with a massive amount of potential.”
Jurelle, you heard it here. Your intelligent involvement, your sense of humour and your leadership are deeply valued at DSS. Congratulations once again on your win as Student of the Week.