 |
| Congratulations Rhiannon! |
 |
| Rhiannon and her family |
 |
| Rhiannon and her brother |
 |
Rhiannon and her music teacher
at Rhiannon's final 2016 recital -
they performed a duet together
|
Last month NPIDA had two current dancers and two recently retired dancers graduate from high school. Congratulations Cara, Sophie, Rhiannon and Raven! Today we feature Rhiannon:
RHIANNON
Rhiannon has been dancing at NPIDA since she was five years old. She is a Preliminary Championship dancer and joined Eire Born in 2010, serving as team captain on many occasions. In 2012 she became an Assistant Teacher at NPIDA and says "sharing my passion and love for Irish dance with younger dancers always brought me great joy".
Rhiannon competed at the Oireachtas twice in both solos and Ceili teams. She also competed at the 2013 World Championships in Boston as a member of the U-16 and 18+ 8-Hand Ceili teams. Unfortunately she suffered a devastating injury in the fall of 2014 just before the Oireachtas, tearing her ACL, MCL and meniscus in her right knee.
Following reconstructive surgery she was unable to return to competitive Irish dance. However, she has remained involved in NPIDA by helping out and supporting Eire Born shows. She was a troupe captain for the 2016 St. Patrick's shows, and even danced in a couple of performances - her first time dancing in nearly two years.
Rhiannon has graduated from Windsor Secondary School in North Vancouver. She was involved in a variety of clubs, including Interact, Student Council, Green Team, Year Book and Ambassadors. She was also active in several Windsor sports, including soccer, basketball and cross-country. In the community, Rhiannon has been an active participant in the North Shore Girls Soccer Academy, the West Vancouver Youth Band (cello), and the North Shore High School Honour Orchestra (cello).
Rhiannon has been volunteering - including several leadership roles - in both her school and community: Secretary of the Interact Club Executive; Bumpin Bakery (food aid to homeless citizens on the downtown eastside); The North Vancouver Harvest Project; Golder Trust for Orphans; BC Lung Association Trek for Life and Breath (200km fundraising bike ride); and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.
She has been the recipient of many awards and scholarships;
- Honour Roll With Distinction (all years)
- Athletic Certificate (Grade 10)
- Service Certificate (Grade 11)
- Service Gold Medal (Grade 12)
- Top Strings Student (Grades 11 and 12)
- Trajan Martin Memorial Scholarship (Grade 12)
- Dorothy Lynas Elementary School PAC French Immersion Scholarship
She also was a $500 winner of the 2014 PMAE (Pat McAndless Award For Excellence), and was the recipient of NPIDA's "Most Improved Work Ethic" award in 2012.
Rhiannon was accepted to all six universities that she applied to, receiving multiple entrance scholarship offers, and has accepted the offer from McGill University in Montreal. She will be pursuing a B.Sc. in Kinesiology beginning in September. Meanwhile, this summer she is working and volunteering (mainly at The Door Is Open shelter in downtown Vancouver).
Congratulations Rhiannon!
 |
| Rhiannon at the 2011 POD Feis |
 |
| Rhiannon at the 2013 Van Eire Feis |
 |
| Rhiannon at the 2013 World Championships |
 |
| Rhiannon in 2012-2013 |
