Maddie skates during the high school figure skating competition in Aylmer on March 8th. Photo by Alexandria M.
Maddie Rourke is a very involved and friendly grade nine student at St. Joseph’s. She can often be seen participating in various clubs and sports teams, as well as being one of the top students in her classes.
Maddie attended St. Anne’s French Immersion Elementary School. She enjoyed having French immersion in her repertoire and continues to pursue it in high school. Maddie built up her reputation of being a dependable, hard worker in grade school. At her grade 8 graduation, she received the Math Award, the University of Windsor English award, and made the Honour Roll.
One of the biggest changes that Maddie noticed transitioning from grade school into high school was the amount of commitment and work needed for her classes. She remarked that in grade school she only had an hour to an hour and a half of homework, but now can have upwards of three hours. However, she has adapted well to this change and really enjoys being in high school.
Maddie’s favourite classes are science, math, gym, and French. She hasn’t decided what she wants to do after high school as a profession, but some careers that she has considered are pharmacist, physiotherapist, accountant, or working for the government. Maddie’s mom, a college professor, and her dad, an engineer, both have and continue to help and encourage her in choosing her career path. Maddie is also fast tracking grade ten science, joining interest-specific school teams, and traveling to Algonquin National Park to explore and aid her in narrowing down her options.
Aside from her schoolwork, Maddie takes part in the St. Joseph’s volleyball and debate teams (and is currently trying out for soccer). She really enjoyed being on the Laser’s volleyball team as she met new people, trained in-depth, and really felt part of the team.
This year, Maddie was also a member of the St. Joe’s figure skating team. On March 7th and 8th, Maddie was one of three Lasers to participate in the 14th Annual High School West Invitational Figure Skating Competition in Aylmer, Ontario. There, she competed in two individual events—Star 6-7 SoloDance and Star 5 Women—and one team event. In all of her events, Maddie pushed herself and competed at higher levels than she ever did before. Her individual performances resulted in two personal best skates that made the St. Joe’s figure skating team very proud.
Outside of school, Maddie figure skates competitively four days a week, works as a barista at a café near her house, and volunteers at Fourth Wall Music as the child administrator.
Maddie firmly believes that everyone, especially grade nines, should “get involved in clubs and teams because [high school] is about your experiences and [they] give you something to look forward to at school.”
All-in-all, Maddie Rourke is a very dedicated student and athlete who exemplifies the Laser spirit.