Adult support, inner fortitude push Turnaround Achievement Award winners to succeed

For some students, the halcyon days of youth can be anything but.

Students deal with anxiety, depression, lack of acceptance, and other very serious adult-level problems, which can take a toll on their self-confidence, leading to poor academic performance.

However, with the help of astute counsellors, teachers, guardians, and—most importantly—themselves, students have shown they can overcome these obstacles to achieve and even surpass their own expectations.

Last Wednesday, dignitaries and school district officials joined proud guardians, teachers, and counsellors at the Crowne Plaza in Fredericton to present Kingswood Turnaround Achievement Awards to area students who have overcome personal obstacles to achieve academic success.

This year’s award ceremony, now in its 30th year, recognized 21 Fredericton- and Oromocto-area students for their successful efforts in changing self-defeating attitudes and behaviours to achieve both academically and in life. Nineteen of those students—the ones graduating—received a total of $55,000 in scholarships to pursue post-secondary education. The program has awarded more than $563,000 in scholarships to 1,067 graduating students continuing their education at partner institutions since Kingswood President Brian John started it in 1994.

“Hopefully, they recognize what they’ve achieved and make the best out of it for themselves going forward,” Johnson said.

Of course, to achieve their Turnaround honours, someone had to notice students were struggling in the first place.

“I think a big thing is recognizing students that don’t typically get recognized, which is what Brian always wanted,” said Denise Johnson, event coordinator and Brian’s wife. “Usually, kids are recognized for academics but not for [overcoming] the challenges a lot of youth face. The community support is fantastic, and the teachers are the unsung heroes here.”

Kershaw’s story

“The bullying affected my academic performance poorly until I stopped looking into it and started looking over it.”

Kershaw Copeland

Said Bancroft, a skilled trades teacher at Minto Memorial High School: “When Kershaw first came to the shop, I saw a young man who did not have confidence. He was not confident in his ability, so I tried very hard to give that confidence.”

And the most significant way Bancroft showed he was confident in Copeland’s ability was to teach him something, then walk away and let Copeland complete the task himself.

“It says ‘I’m not only saying that I trust you, I’m not only saying you have the ability, but I’m going to let you do your thing because I know It’,” Bancroft said. “That was the start of the change.”

Copeland’s new-found confidence forced an epiphany: “The bullying affected my academic performance poorly until I stopped looking into it and started looking over it,” he said. “I realized in high school, people have to focus on their own education. They can’t focus on what you’re doing all the time.”

Bancroft’s confidence in him had a profound affect on Copeland’s performance in school. It also made him want to help other students who might be going through some of the troubles he overcame.

“When I see people in the hallway with their head down, I’ll be like ‘hey, how are you doing?’,” he said. “I’m trying to be the change because I have been through that and I know what people are going through. Whenever I see someone in the hall upset, it kinda gets me upset so I try to brighten everyone’s day.”

And Bancroft is proud of the growth he’s seen.

“Seeing the person he has grown into, seeing the person he has become, it is a joy. It’s the reason I’m here,” he said.

In addition to the $1,000 bursary every graduating award recipient receives, Copeland won two additional $1,000 scholarships from the Omega Restaurant in Minto and from the Radisson Kingswood Hotel & Suites, respectively. He will attend NBCC Moncton in September studying culinary arts.

“I’m going to make food, make people love it, and make people feel loved,” said Copeland.

Marley-Rae’s story

But that didn’t happen right away for the Leo Hayes High School Grade 12 student.

“I moved here with in Grade 9 with my mom during the pandemic and that led to me having no connections because of the bubbles, zones, and the conditions we were in. So, I had a really hard time making friends and engaging with anyone,” said Kennedy. “My first day of school was absolutely terrifying. Walking in and seeing everybody already friends and in their own groups made me feel I wasn’t fitting in.”

Initially, Kennedy said, she did whatever she could do to conform to what others were doing, in an effort to get them to like her. While trying to fit in, she was also diagnosed with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and ODD.

The stress of alienation combined with her diagnoses led to a suicide attempt in Grade 10. It also led to a reckoning.

“After surviving, I took a big look at myself and where I was and I realized I’m meant to be here and I have to do what I can to make my space a better place and the world a better place for myself,” she said.

Enter counsellor Tracy Gatto: “Before things got better, things went downhill for her. Thank goodness her mom was here and her mom also fought very hard to do everything she could for Marley. There was a point where Marley-Rae had a real hard time attending school and we were really worried for her. So we were able to work together and come up with a plan that Marley-Rae really liked.”

That plan included checking in with Tracy several times a week, as well as receiving a personalized learning plan of two periods in morning at home and four periods at school.

“Having that guidance and support really helped me do better in school,” said Kennedy. “I did everything I could. I got a tutor in math. I put in effort, I studied when I could. Even when it was hard, I took accountability for those moments. I really learned to focus on school and myself.”
In learning to focus on herself, she started pursuing a personal passion: aesthetics. She’s since started a nail business from her house, serving four clients a week.

“I thought that turning my passion into a purpose was the best thing I could do for myself,” said Kennedy.

Her passion has also helped her solidify her post-graduation plans. In addition to the $1,000 bursary all graduating award recipients receive, Kennedy also won an additional $1,000 scholarship from Nancy Ketch and Hugh Cameron. She will be attending the NBCC LPN program in September, with the goal of becoming a medical aesthetician.

“She was determined to rewrite the ending of her story and use what she’d been through to help other people and also to push herself forward,” said Gatto. “And she did that all on her own. Her personality has gotten her so far because she’s a bright light and it’s hard not to love Marley-Rae.”

In addition to her nail business, and much like Copeland, Kennedy is also committed to making things better for other struggling students. She volunteers as part of Leo Hayes’ mental health support group.

“I think the biggest thing for me that I struggled with is not feeling accepted here and feeling out of place, so I do absolutely everything I can to make everyone I meet feel accepted and loved,” she said.

Kennedy also had another piece of sage advice anyone, young or old: “I prioritize people that prioritize me.”

Published May 14, 2024

Last modified May 21, 2024, 2:18 pm