WEYBURN – Grade 12 student Hannah VanDeSype was named the 2023 winner of the Tom Zandee Humanitarian Award from the Weyburn Comprehensive School, presented by teacher Leslie Joorisity-Dickie at the Awards Night on Monday.
The award recognizes a student “who may have contributed to an individual, family, school, church or community, or has displayed personal courage under adverse circumstances, or has demonstrated initiative and selflessness in overcoming personal problems.”
According to Joorisity-Dickie, VanDeSype fits under all of these criteria, and shared comments and observations from coaches and employers to show the impression she has made.
As an athlete, she has played on the senior girls basketball team, was heavily involved in figure skating, as well as girls softball, and all of her coaches had high praise for her.
Coach Karly Johnson said of her, “She is strong, independent, smart, and caring. Although she may come across as tough, she has a huge heart and has been known to ‘mother’ the team.”
Figure skating coach Abbey Forsyth said Hannah is “always positive and is always the best version of herself. She is a great mentor to our younger skaters and an incredible role model.”
One of the adversities she has had to deal with was losing her mom Tanis to cancer when she was 12 years old.
“Hannah stepped forward and decided to use the values, work ethic and characteristics that her mom possessed and put them into place to become successful in all her endeavors,” said Joorisity-Dickie. “She has chosen to become a compassionate, selfless, strong, fierce female who can and will achieve her goals regardless of the adversity she may face.”
She added of the award recipient, “She carries many responsibilities a young person her age would not be taking on all at once and yet does it with strength, and wisdom beyond her years. Hannah doesn’t complain about the curve that her road of life has taken but instead she has chosen to succeed.”
Joorisity-Dickie noted with emotion that Hannah will be attending university to be a teacher, and commented, “how your mother is smiling up in heaven knowing this is the career path you are choosing, and I have seen how your Dad beams with pride every time he looks at you.”
