2023 Suzanne Peterson Award Recipients

At each graduation for the past 13 years, Brunswick North West Primary school has celebrated one student from the graduating class - one student who exemplifies the values of our school. The award is named after Suzanne Peterson who was a teacher at Brunswick North West many years ago, but she was also much more. Suzanne was an engaging character you never felt you finished getting to know. She had layers upon layers that made up who she was: a teacher, a novelist, a journalist and an activist. Later in life she was a mother, she built her very own school, she was a lecturer, a doctor, a scientist and a mathematician. Though Suzanne’s life was not exceptionally long, it was exceptionally full and simply exceptional.

When deciding on which student should receive the Suzanne Peterson Award each year, teachers look for those who display many varied forms of success. Those who go beyond expectations, who surprise and delight. Those who consider everyone around them and go to great lengths to foster the elements of our community that each of us hold so dear. Essentially, those who live and breathe our school values. After much deliberation and conversation, for only the second time in our school’s history, we have two recipients to award tonight.

It’s not surprising that our two recipients for this year are unique from one another; each with different interests, goals and social-circles - after years of celebrating individuality and difference, BNW graduates often have a strong sense of self. When reflecting on tonight’s two recipients, I was struck by how they have each found their own way to embody our values of Authenticity, Connection, Respect and Creativity.

Authenticity

Both of our recipients have developed strong passions and interests throughout their time here at school. It has been such a joy to watch them grow into the humans they currently are and to imagine where they will end up in the future. I honestly couldn’t tell you where either of them will be in the future and would never want to put a limitation to what they will achieve, my feeling is that it will include making people happy - beyond that, let’s wait and see.

Our recipients don’t just have passions and interests, however. They are driven by their passions to go further, discover more and have a positive impact on those around them. Their interests encourage new friendships, knowledge, skills and experiences. They act as a key to open new pathways.

While the sense of identity is strong in these two, both our recipients have demonstrated with maturity beyond their years that they can connect with a variety of people, in a variety of ways - not just those within whom they see themselves reflected. Our two recipients seem to genuinely enjoy the connections they make with people around them and their understanding of their own inherent value is evident in how they value others.

Connection

This is a very special school community, filled with incredible individuals fostering deep connections with each other. We are not your first community and we won’t be your last. As your teen years approach and you gradually build independence from the family unit that has nurtured your earliest years of life, your social connections and community become increasingly more important.

Our two award recipients have a wonderful capacity to make and maintain connections with a range of people. They demonstrate an understanding that connections, just like people, evolve with time but our impact on one another can be ever-lasting. With each and every interaction, our recipients give as much as they gain. Our two recipients demonstrate patience and kindness towards themselves and others, they have demonstrated the strength to swim against the tide in order to stay true to themselves and as a result, the impact these two people have had on their peers, their teachers and their community is whole-heartedly positive and just like Suzanne’s influence, you will be remembered by us all.

Respect

A quote that instantly came to mind when I first found out about the winning two recipients was “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” Our two Suzanne Peterson Award recipients are much like Suzanne herself - they have the skills, intelligence and support to achieve just about anything they might dream of - and with every step they take towards their goals, they do so with kindness.

In all the years I have known these two, I’ve never heard them comment negatively about anyone else - no matter the circumstance. This is not to suggest they have led a life without challenge, but when they face the challenges that life is bound to bring us all, they take time to consider how they can reframe their experience. Both our recipients bring a sense of lightness to each day and each experience that stays with their community. Respecting themselves and others is not a chore or task for these two, but part of the joyful and rich experience of life.

Creativity

When we talk about creativity here at school, we are not just talking about the creation of beautiful images, but the creation of anything new; of thinking differently, of problem solving and innovation. Our two recipients embody creativity in all its forms and, just like the other values I’ve spoken about tonight, they live these values with enthusiasm - getting joy from the complexities and challenges of life.

Our two recipients of the Suzanne Peterson Award for 2023 are unique individuals with many shared traits that are valued by our school and community. The recipients are impeccable role models, demonstrating that living our school values with their head, their heart and their hands may look different from each person, but the positive impact is equally experienced by themselves and those around them.

Our two recipients understand that life is not black and white, rather it is filled with many shades of grey. I feel like one of our recipients is inclined to identify the undertones and shades of colour that range from battleship grey to taupe, while the other recipient might ask questions like “Is the grey I see the same as you?” and “What is colour anyway?”

To the recipients of this award:

From the moment you joined our school community, we have seen you uphold our school values every day, in every way. You balance the need to advocate for yourselves while keeping the needs of others in mind - regularly seeking solutions that benefit everyone. You consistently demonstrate our school values and we want you to know that we see you, we appreciate you and the impact you have made on this school and its community should never be underestimated.

We are so very proud to announce that the recipients of the Suzanne Peterson Award for 2023 are Rayma Atkinson and Eamon Reilly.

Primary Colours

Andrew Lang