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OUR HOMETOWN: Top academic

Davis Franklin in the recipient of the Governor General’s Academic Medal
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Lake City Secondary School principal Craig Munroe congratulates graduate Davis Franklin, the 2021 Governor General’s Academic Medal recipient from the school. (Monica Lamb-Yorski photo - Williams Lake Tribune)

Hard work has paid off for a graduating student from Lake City Secondary School Williams Lake campus.

Davis Franklin received the Governor General’s Academic Award for achieving the top grade point average, which in his case was a perfect 4.0.

“It has been a constant grind,” he said of the work required for his academic achievements.

Raised in Williams Lake, Davis was born on Jan. 1, 2003. His parents are both educators within SD27, Mike Franklin and

Jeanette Gobolos, and he has two older sisters - Calie, 22, and Hannah, 29.

Franklin said being a high school student during COVID-19 was a different experience, but added he honestly enjoyed the

breaks from being in school physically sometimes and eventually got used to the restrictions.

On Tuesday, June 22, principal Craig Munroe gave Davis his personalized certificate for the academic medal, and said the medals will be coming once the new Governor General is sworn in.

The academic medal was created in 1873 to encourage academic excellence across Canada. Each year they are awarded to the student graduating with the highest average from a high school, as well as from approved colleges and university programs.

Munroe said in other years the race for the medal has been very close, but this year Davis was a percentage or a percentage-and-ahalf above the other top academic students.

“Davis is one of the strongest academic students I have seen in recent times, but also very supportive of his peers,” Munroe said.

“He also shared his technical skills to help staff during the beginning days of COVID. He is very helpful, focused, dedicated and conscientious.”

As a young student Franklin attended Cataline Elementary and remembers fondly participating in the

intergenerational program.

“I had a senior buddy named Flo,” he recalled. “We’d get together and play games and stuff.”

Attending LCSS Columneetza campus for Grade 7 introduced him to new students, which he enjoyed, and in his senior years it was being in the hockey program with Terry Duff and taking calculus that were highlights, as well as Law 12 with Caroline Chupa.

Outside of school, Franklin applied his driven nature to playing rep hockey and soccer. The teen said when he travelled for tournaments, especially in hockey, he appreciated his hometown and was glad to be part of the Williams Lake Minor Hockey Association because he did not always like the antics of other minor hockey associations.

Read more: Bantam T-Wolves capture gold in Quesnel

Skiing and mountain biking have also been passions for the teen and when he attends the University of British Columbia Okanagan in Kelowna to study computer science this fall he is looking forward to continuing to do both.

When asked if he will try to play some hockey, he replied “no.”

“Hockey is done for me. I’ve had too many concussions and I am still feeling the effects now and then.”

The injury hasn’t slowed the teen’s fitness goals, however, as he still works out at Total Ice doing cross-fit training four days a week to stay in shape.

Up until this summer Franklin worked at Taylor Automotive Supplies Ltd. and Tasco Supplies Ltd. in the summer months, but this year is one of the junior firefighters employed by the BC Wildfire Service at the Cariboo Fire Centre.

He said Williams Lake has been a good place to grow up.

“It’s a small town, you know everybody. There’s Mount Timothy ski hill nearby and great mountain biking

trails,” he said.

Eyeing the future, Davis said he chose computer science because he believes it will open up many opportunities.

“I can work anywhere,” he added.

Read more:2021 Lake City Secondary School grads take centre stage at Williams Lake campus ceremonies



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Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
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