Two students recognized for civic achievements

Limestone Learning Foundation
Two students recognized for civic achievements
Posted on 07/02/2019
Image of Lylia Essaddam and Aidan Tomkinson.

Two Limestone students will be recognized with a City of Kingston Civic Award for their outstanding contributions to their community at the Canada Day Civic Ceremony July 1.

"I'm regularly inspired by the incredible people that devote themselves to making Kingston a better place to live," said Mayor Bryan Paterson. "I believe this is what makes Canada so amazing and so it's very fitting that we honour some truly remarkable Kingstonians during the Canada Day Civic Ceremony."

Lylia Essaddam, a student at École Sir John A. Macdonald Public School, will receive the Mayor’s Award for Youth Volunteerism in the Grade 5 to 8 category.

Late last year 10 year old Lylia designed and hand painted greeting cards, and then sold them for $5 each. She then donated proceeds from the cards to a charity that provides low cost, nutritious meals to those in need in Kingston. Lylia sold these “Gnome-for-a-home’ cards, to more than 460 people across Ontario and Quebec and raised $3,000 in just 3 months.

On Mother’s Day, Lylia launched another card fundraiser, with proceeds supporting Loving Hands Kingston and The Shoebox Project for Women.

Receiving the Mayor’s Award for Youth Volunteerism in the Grade 9 to 12 category is Aidan Tomkinson, a student at KCVI.

Aidan has organized a number of efforts at her school including a Relay for Life event; the KCVI Feminist Conference; a "Love Campaign" to lift the spirits of students and address anxiety following online bomb threats made to the school; and walkouts to protest changes to the sex education curriculum and school funding.

Aidan has organized a weekly Climate Strike to bring attention to the need to address climate change. She also regularly connects with Climate Involvement members around the province to find new ideas to educate people on protecting our climate.

One of Aidan’s nominators sums her efforts up nicely: "Aidan is always concerned with the well-being of all people in her world, and she regularly reflects on ways she can bring positive changes to our local and global community."

 Photos courtesy of City of Kingston

The Limestone District School Board is situated on traditional territories of the Anishinaabe & Haudenosaunee.