By Lyonel Doherty

Times-Chronicle staff

While Sarah Cairns would argue she is far from perfect, the same cannot be said about her schoolwork.

The 18-year-old student from Southern Okanagan Secondary School received the Governor General’s Academic Medal today for achieving the highest average (96.1 per cent) upon graduation.

“Sarah was absolutely amazing for the whole year . . . she’s a great citizen and was a great asset to our school; we definitely miss her being here,” said Principal Tracy Harrington.

The administrator pointed out that Cairns set the academic bar very high at SOSS and worked really hard to achieve her final mark.

“It’s not easy to get those marks; those were hard academic courses.”

Harrington was asked what she can see Cairns doing with her life.
“I don’t know for sure, but the world is open to the Sarahs of the world. I can see her going into dentistry or another line of work that’s working with people because she’s such a great people person.”

Cairns said receiving the medal was a pleasant surprise for her.

“I knew going in it wouldn’t be easy.”

She pointed out that her work ethic involves a lot of studying, dedication and motivation. But academics is not her only focus since staying active and fit is also very important. A lot of her time is spent looking after her health by jogging and working out.

Cairns is currently enrolled in a certified dental assistant program, which stemmed from her work experience at SOSS. She worked alongside Dr. Ng in Oliver.

Of course, COVID-19 had an impact on Cairns’ senior year at SOSS, where she missed out on many interactions with teachers and fellow students.

“But the school did great at making us feel that we could complete our senior year as fast as possible. Just having a graduation was great.”

Cairns was asked what she did to overcome her stress and anxiety in high school.

“You ran,” Harrington said, laughing.

“Honestly, I did,” Cairns replied, noting that a lot of her time was spent jogging.

“That was definitely a really big outlet for me.”

But also making sure she had close friends and family members to talk to during those emotional train rides.