The board of the Creek Big Band (CBB) has announced the winners of the Creek Big band Scholarship for 2020. CBB scholarships are offered each year to graduating students from the three high schools on the Lower Sunshine Coast.
Amelia Gray of Pender Harbour Secodary, Carmen Mancuso of Chatelech Secondary, and James Stinson of Elphinstone Secondary each received an $800 scholarship for the 2020 graduation year.
Amelia has been a school leader in planning school-wide events, co-founding a Women’s Empowerment Group, volunteered for activities in the local Sparks group in the Girl Guides, is the youth PH Ocean Discovery Station (PODS) Champion, has played in the school band and sung in the choir and has worked as a life guard at the PH pool.
She will be attending the University of Victoria to study marine biology and environmental studies.
Carmen has a burning passion for music in all its forms and currently performs on accordion, trombone, euphonium, tuba and drums. He co-founded the SD46 Pit Band, worked as musical director in the musical Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) and performed in six different musical groups last fall.
He is planning to study psychology with a minor in music at the University of McGill in Montreal.
James is an industrious, academic student, passionate about music and science. He has played in the high school concert and jazz bands and worked at the Nicholas Sonntag Marine Education Centre Aquarium at the Gibsons Public Market.
His post-secondary studies will be at the University of Ottawa, where he is planning to major in biology.
The Roberts Creek Jazz Band Society is a non-profit society that is the parent of the CBB which is made up of volunteer musicians contributing to the musical enjoyment on the Sunshine Coast of jazz, swing, Latin, and other popular music genres. The funds raised by the CBB from paying gigs and gifts from generous donors are used to provide the annual scholarships.
After the COVID-19 restrictions on limiting group sizes are lifted, the CBB is enthusiastic to get back to their rehearsing and performing.
– Submitted
