Tamanawis Secondary student wins Vimy Pilgrimage Award
Tamanawis Secondary student Praneet Singh Arora (centre) receives provincial and Surrey pins from principal Kevin De Boice and Surrey Board of Education trustee Laurae McNally to take on his trip to Ottawa, where he will learn about Canada's role in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The Grade 12 student is one of 20 Canadian youth to receive this year's Vimy Pilgrimage Award.
Praneet Singh Arora is headed to Ottawa next week as one of just 20 students selected from across Canada to receive the Vimy Pilgrimage Award, which recognizes youth for their volunteer work and notable deeds benefiting their school, community, province or country.
For the Grade 12 Tamanawis Secondary student, his application for the award was literally years in the making.
"I had a family friend who won the award and I've wanted the jacket ever since," said Singh Arora with a laugh. "I've always been passionate about history since Grade 6 or 7, studying archaeology, ancient civilizations, the world wars and modern warfare. It's really interesting to see how one event, even something seemingly insignificant, can define or change the face of the world."
Singh Arora submitted two 500-word essays, one comparing and contrasting the Spanish Flu with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the other highlighting his many community contributions. He has worked with numerous environmental organizations including Sustainabiliteens and Ocean Wise, as well as local athletic foundation Cycling4Diversity, and serves as the president of Tamanawis Empowered, a school club that works with women's shelters to eradicate domestic violence locally, along with global organizations to help orphans and starving children in war torn nations.
"I've tried to delve into as many social issues as possible because they're things I'm really passionate about," he said.
While the award win usually comes with a weeklong, fully funded educational visit to historic First World War sites in Belgium and France, this year's trip remains within Canada due to the pandemic. Singh Arora will spend the next week touring Ottawa and learning more about Canada's role in the Battle of Vimy Ridge in the nation's capital.
"I've been to Ottawa before but I have not seen the National War Museum and it's something I've always wanted to see," he said. "Beyond that, the actual Remembrance Day ceremony at Parliament Hill will be exciting."
Surrey Board of Education trustee Laurae McNally, who visited Vimy with fellow trustee Terry Allen and Superintendent Jordan Tinney with other Vimy Pilgrimage Award winners during its 100th anniversary, said the trip is a valuable educational experience for the selected students each year.
"It's very, very important for these kids to have this opportunity to go to Vimy - it really is life-changing," she said. "While he won't actually get to Vimy, he's certainly going to get to learn a lot of history in Ottawa, and it might just whet his appetite to go to Vimy in a few years."
Tamanawis principal Kevin De Boice said Singh Arora is extremely deserving of the award and looks forward to hearing about his trip upon his return.
"We're very proud of him," he said. "I've known him since Grade 8 and he's a very good ambassador for our school."
