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Grade 11 student Rachael Encarnacion working on one of the “Cray-Cycled” packages.

Photo by Dominic Seriani

Hard work pays off

By MacNeill Secondary School Students

Published 4:39 PDT, Tue July 4, 2017

Last Updated: 2:12 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021

By Kirby Rodriguez, Patricia Andal, Bara’ah Honaish and Angel Batinga

Since the school opened 13 years ago, MacNeill’s students, teachers and coaches have worked together to accomplish many things in the classroom, on the playing field, and within the community.

Their achievements reflect the commitment to developing students’ personal skills, leadership, perseverance, teamwork, goal-setting, and the pursuit of excellence.

One of the biggest achievements a school can accomplish in athletics is to win a banner. A banner represents winning a school district championship game sponsored by the Richmond Secondary School Athletics Association (RSSAA).

MacNeill earned its first banner in 2006 for Cross-Country. In 2011, the Bantam Boys Basketball Team won MacNeill’s first basketball banner against McMath.

The following year, the Junior Boys Basketball Team won an RSSAA basketball banner against Palmer Secondary.

MacNeill’s Junior Badminton Team are three-time champions since 2015. Their winning streak started by placing first in the RSSAA and the Vancouver District’s playoffs.

Not only is MacNeill exceptional in the sports department, but the dance team has also created fire on the dance floor, representing the school at various Lower Mainland competitions.

On February 25, MacNeill’s trio: Jade Ongcol, Miguel Peralta, and Roland Sanares, took home the first place trophy at the Shamrock 2017 Dance Competition at St. Patrick Secondary School.

“The experience was unexplainable. We were in complete shock and were speechless for another win, right after winning second place in the previous competition. We were even late to the stage (accepting) our trophy,” admitted Ongcol.

MacNeill’s Business Club is another prospering club. Many students in accounting and marketing come together and they really get down to business.

Last year, the Marketing 11 students won first place at the “UBC Enactus: Spend it Right” case competition with their entry ‘Cray-Cycled’, granting them the Business Department’s first trophy and a $200 investment to further the business idea.

After lots of research and many trials the idea crystalized.

“We thought of crayons as it brought us back to our childhood and little kids love to colour with crayons but they were all in boring shapes and colours. So we decided to reform them and add new colours to the mix,” reported Ariella Koentjoro, one of the Business Club executives.

The Business Club also won a $1,000 sustainability grant at the B.C. Green Games challenge with their Green Thumb idea. The goal of Green Thumb is to teach younger generations about the importance of upcycling and environmental sustainability. The money will be put towards a installing a water bottle fountain in the school to reduce the use of disposable water bottles.

Since MacNeill officially opened, it has been making history.

Although many trophies and other evidence of students’ achievements align the showcases and hallways, the school’s “biggest accomplishment has been in the relationships we’ve built, the personal growth we’ve seen, the work we’ve put in, the great experiences we’ve enjoyed, the challenges we’ve faced, and the obstacles we’ve overcome,” said Peter Thackwray, one of the inaugural staff members, PE teacher and coach.

macneill.sd38.bc.ca

@ARMacBusiness

@ARMacNeill