Downsview, for the week of May 22nd, your Student of the Week is Omar H.
Omar is a twelfth grade student and a member of our DD program.
Raves about Omar come from many, many members of our staff. We’ll start with Ms Stackhouse: “I think Omar is great! Omar is just an all-around gentleman. He greets the students at the front door every morning. It doesn’t matter what he is doing, he always has time to say hello to me and shake my hand. Last week he danced with me in the hall first thing in the morning. He went down on one knee and asked for my hand to dance with me, and I did! It was the nicest thing - you should have seen it - everyone in the hall including the students stopped to watch and clapped at the end of our dance. What a great way to start my day. I think he is a fantastic student and he should win!”
And from Ms Murphy: “Omar is a very enthusiastic member of our period 3 dance class. He brings a lot of positive energy into the studio and his smile is infectious. Whether he is learning choreography or improvising in his own moves, Omar shows that he is very passionate about dancing. He started dancing in our program last semester when he performed the Thriller dance at Halloween! He was very dedicated to practising both in and out of class time. It is a wonderful experience having Omar in dance and as his peers and teacher, we feel very lucky to have him.”
And, from Ms Shahmoradi: “Regarding the new actor at Downsview, Omar, I can say this: “During the long and winter days Omar was the cause of joy for me with the bag of energy and excitement Omar used to offer me at my arrival. With his own special language - mostly gestures and smiles - he gives me a detailed report about whatever happened to him before or on his daily agenda. Omar is a cheerful young man, a real clown, who is able to create lots of laughs and excitement by his generous gestures and laughs. He is a real man of stage. By improvisation and by easily capturing attentions he is able to amuse a whole crowd of people, and he amazingly keeps them busy all through a complete show. While this can lead to distractions, Omar is polite and sweet enough to tone things down when necessary, and offer the spotlight to others. He is a real people person and I wish him a happy and successful future in any area of his interest.”
And finally, from Ms Prinn: “Omar us a huge help in keep our halls in order. He knows the rules and is quick to ensure students take their hats off and get to class. He is a wonderful student and a joy to see everyday.” Mr Genge agrees, noting that Omar brings a smile to his face each and every day.
Phew! That’s a lot of praise, Omar, but we didn’t want to leave out any voices from your fans. Omar we wish you a happy week as Student of the Week – you have earned your crown!
Even more words of praise about Omar from Ms Woods:
“Omar is a young man who brings joy wherever he goes. He begins every school day by warmly greeting staff and students with a huge smile as they enter the building and waves them on as they walk down the corridor.
Omar brings the same joy to his classmates in Ms. Murphy’s dance class. His enthusiasm for dance is notable and he inspires others with his sheer love of movement. This year, Omar was thrilled to be in “The Thriller” dance on Halloween and to be part of a class visit to see a dance troupe in Toronto.
When his own class visits the Soup Kitchen once a month to socialize, study dance, have lunch and make sandwiches for homeless people, Omar is the first on the stage after lunch, dancing energetically and originally to a wide range of music. He is his own choreographer and a masterful one at that, entertaining a crowd of elementary and middle school students who cheer him on. At that venue, Omar has even had a dance step named after him. It’s called “The Omar.”
Omar is always the first to celebrate and an undeniable passion of his is birthdays. As soon as Omar spots a birthday cake to celebrate a classmate’s special day, he grabs his guitar and leads the class in singing “Happy Birthday.” If the chorus isn’t sufficiently enthusiastic, Omar says, “Oh, come on!” and leads them in song again.
Omar is a showman, a born entertainer with a flawless sense of humour, an unwavering sense of fun and an instinctive sense of timing. His teacher, Ms. Woods, once proclaimed him a “comic genius”.
Complimenting his humour is a deep sense of compassion. Omar is always on the lookout for anyone in need, for anyone he can help. He is a great friend to his classmates Chaid and Brendon, opening doors for them, helping them on and off with coats, and putting items in their lockers or taking them out, depending on the time of day. He also makes sure that his classmates have a snack in the morning at the appointed time. If staff forgets about snack time, he is the first to remind them.
He is quick to contribute to class activities, whether helping to cook, wash and dry dishes, sweep the floor or fold aprons expertly during cooking class. He is also contributing to a work placement at Burger King where he washes tables with a smile.
Given his kindness, his caring and his endless capacity for bringing joy to others, Omar has been named the Student of the Week.”
Back to Student of the Week list