SPECIAL FEATURE
Oak Bay Family
Family feature section explores the challenges of parenting and offers Pages A15-17 sound advice.
SPORTS: Breakers suffer Ryan Cup defeat /A5 DRIVEWAY: Audi A7 a luxury fuel sipper /A11 HOMEFINDER: New rules restrict some buyers /A20
OAK BAYNEWS Friday, May 9, 2014
www.vicnews.com
Old drugs dangerous to kids and pets Arnold Lim News staff
Arnold Lim/News staff
Grade 12 student Mohammed Abousaleh in his Oak Bay High school physics class. The straight-A student recently secured the Schulich Leader Scholarship, a national scholarship that will give him $80,000 to attend the University of Victoria.
Valedictorian earns $80,000 UVic scholarship Arnold Lim News staff
When Mohammed Abousaleh looked at his computer screen, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Confirmation of an $80,000 scholarship to the University of Victoria stared back at him – two weeks later, it still doesn’t seem real. “When I first saw it I didn’t really believe what I was seeing,” the Grade 12 Oak Bay High student said. “I just sat there (and) looked at the screen, it was a bit overwhelming. It took a little
while to sink in.” As Oak Bay High school’s lone nominee for the national Schulich Leader Scholarship – awarded to students possessing two of three criteria in outstanding leadership in the community, academic excellence and financial need – the straight-A student said the scholarship will serve as additional motivation to further realize his goals. “The biggest thing is living up to what it means. You can be awarded for certain things but if you just kind of plateau after that, it doesn’t really mean much,”
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Abousaleh said. “You have to keep the momentum going. My whole life has been about selfimprovement. I’m always trying to challenge myself more and more and this is going to give me great motivation to do well in university.” In addition to his academic pedigree, the 18-year-old, who came from Syria when he was six, said it’s important to be a leader outside the classroom as well. He volunteers on student council and in leadership class, as a reading buddy and peer tutor for his fellow students and helps with
community fundraisers including the Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock. “One of the things I like about this school specifically that hit me hard, was the Cops for Cancer they do at the beginning of every year. The passion I saw at the school was overwhelming, everyone was united and it was something I didn’t really see in a school before,” he said. “This kind of unity was kind of new to me.” PlEASE SEE: Unity reflected by peers, Page A4
Residents are asked to dispose of drugs responsibly. Health Canada, in partnership with Public Safety Canada, Partnership for a Drug Free Canada and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police are reminding the public to drop off unused prescription and over-thecounter drugs at their local pharmacy leading up to the second annual National Prescription Drug Drop-off day Saturday, May 10. “We don’t want them to throw them into regular trash, it gets into the water supply, it’s not good for the environment,” said Pharmasave pharmacist Sandi Nelson. “Sometimes (even) people breaking into homes can take them, we don’t want people to take expired medications and we don’t want them in the garbage … for dogs, raccoons and kids.” Safety concerns around the proliferation of unused prescription drugs prompted the joint initiative for the awareness day beginning in 2013. PlEASE SEE: Police say no to drugs, Page A3
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