On 3 June 2015, the annual Athletic Banquet was held at Thorncliffe Banquet Hall. Athletes of 2015 were invited for a night of celebration, awards, food and dance that lasted all evening – doors opened at 5:30, and the ceremony began at 6:30. The dance portion of the night was held from 9:00 to 10:30 PM.

Due to the mandatory athletic fee, this year’s banquet was substantially cheaper than last year’s. Athletes who had paid the fee were charged just $5, those who had not paid the fee paid $25, and non-athletes could attend the dance for $30.

Entry into the event required an ID card check and bag inspection done by the Vice-Principals of the school. The MCs, Michelle Nyamekye and Ameera Seiyad , then kicked off the award ceremony. The respective coaches of each team announced the The Most Valuable Player (MVP), Most Dedicated Player (MDP) and Most Improved Player (MIP).

After the first set of awards were announced, students feasted on a buffet-styled dinner.

The awards continued with ones that seek to recognize exemplary students who have actively participated in Garneau athletics over the last year. They were as follows:

Junior Female Athlete of the Year: Cheng Cheng Lin

Junior Male Athlete of the Year: Michael Ma

Senior Female Athlete of the Year: Ella Plante

Senior Male Athlete of the Year: Zulfiqar Sheikh

The Chris Penny Award, given to a recipient that shows dedicated involvement in community services, was given to Michelle Nyamekye.

The end of the awards were followed by a slideshow of the teams put together by Ejay Vidad. The rest of the night was spent of the dance floor, with a slow song to end the night.

Raluca Gondor, a Grade 9 student who received the MDP Award for Co-ed Tennis, was pleased with the event. “It was really fun,” she commented. “The food, the music was good and the dj was fun!”

The event this year faced struggles regarding outreach and advertisements because of the lack of an organized council. As a result, many students requested to purchase tickets on the last day. However with the help of Mr.Hillman and the Physical Education office, ticket sales were extended. The event sold a total of 180 tickets, compared to last years’ 112 tickets.

“It was a lot better this year with Mr.Hillman back, a lot more organized,” commented Athletic Convener Michelle Nyamekye.