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i v economktsunrmbune i education ttudcyjulyiijood 19 v a yorteregion student is02percmiiwfiy from perfection by gianni colavecchia jtaff writer at first glance britta knighf seerhs like your average teen her smiles convey a youthful mix of contentment aridshyness her fingers are clasped and fidget ing but the nervous exterior belies an inner stfengtii with an average of 998 per cent the 19yearold richmond hill high school gradu- atehas earned the top academic score this year of any student in york region sitting in her comfortable richmond hill home knight shied away from discussing whether she believes her intellect is a cut above other kids i dont really liketotalkabout it because itseems the oac stu dent began her words trailing off i- dont want to seem like im brag ging knight preferred to talk about the habits she believes have brought her to the top a healthy social life hard work arid plenty of thorough preparation knight also attributes her success to factors such as completing tasks well before theday of an assignment or test but knighti who has earned straight as all her life also displays a desire for excellence the average student simply does not possess fgot a bonce in gym in grade 7 i wasnt happy about that she said other kids say it doesnt mat- ter its only elementary school or high school but it matters to me several venues for intellectual stimulation in knights home may also provide a cliie as to why she has done so well- rooms are lined with art and lit erature one bookshelf covers an entire wall filled with works by authors such as alice munro and mordecai- richler major newspapers and magazines are scattered across cof fee and kitchen tables knight said her parents read to her when she was a child and she reads for pleasure to this day v for knight the dedication need- ed to achieve a perfect mark lies in knowing things inside out she will hot hesitateto ask questions about thesmallest items shes not immediately familiar with and checkirigover tests thoroughly card ing even about questions worth only a tew marks in her quest to become a veteri narian knight works part time at a veterinary clinic volunteers for a wildlife organization and is to take on a renewable scholarship at the university of giielph michael fawcett an oac gradu ate from cardinal carter catholic high school also keeps himself very busy and has lofty aspirations the 18yearold newmarket res ident who attributes his final mark of 961 per cent to time manage ment said he hardly has time for idleness in his drive to become an aeronautical engineer i try to go out on weekends with my friends just not too late though he said i definitely wish i could go out more ill be dying to go out with my friends but i cant i got ab once in gym in grade 7 a wasnt happy about that fawcett said most of his after- school life is taken up preparing for and competing in international fig ure skating competitions oh an average- day he awakens at530 am finishes skating around 1030 attends school until 230 pari exer- cises studies arid goes to bed at 9 u he estimated he spends only a half hour per day doing homework because much of any remaining time is consumed by aparttime job at a country club in grade 12 fawcett achieved an average of 90 per cent arid he left many of his assignments until the last minute this yearhe scored wehon consecutive examinations taken without much preparation and only a day after a skating com petition in calgary it all begs the question do some students have ah innate ability to outperform despite their study habits i dont know about that i hope thats true fawcett said i just try hard i work hard i try to apply myself richmond hill high principal rod leonard said hes seen some students do extremely well even though they cram studying into lastminute work periods before exams ive seen some students who get in the 90s procrastinate he said a lot of bright kids can get away with this success he acknowledged can come from a combination of things such as intellectual curiosity and natural aptitude for donna rowen richmond hill highs head of guidance stu- dents such as knight and fawcett are successful because they are effi cient learners staff photomike barrett britta knight york regions top oac student cuddles with her pet degiis the richmond hill highschool graduate who hopes to become a veterinarian works part time at a vetclinic volunteers with wildcare and keeps the south american rodents as pets york regions top 20 scholars name school mark britta knight richmond hill hs 998 maria banda thornhill ss 997 matthew jsenson lightman thornlea ss 993 trisha ann niemeyer sutton district hs 987 brynne redford cardinal carter chs 983 olivia pui ying lau bayviewss 983 anthony collins thornlea ss 982 nicole mideo huron heights ss 978 matthew buchalter thornlea ss 978 susanna ng aurora hs 977 joyce ko dr gwwilliams ss 977 jesse klostranec sacred heart chs 976 benjamin hackett dr gw williams ss 973 karina ng markwlle ss 972 jennifer perruzza holy cross ca 970 annida silverstri holy cross ca 970 douglas hall- langstaff ss 970 henry ling sutton district hs 970 ryanali fr michael mcgivney chs 968 amelia ciofani suoanofarcchs 968 regional news digest whats happening york regional police garage sale saturday july 158 am york region headquarters 17250 yonge st newmarket irispgreg saundersofficer doug cooperjoanne meyer and lisa connolly are collecting items for the garage sale to raise funds for the quiet food driyejo make a donation call 881f221ext7904 chief sighs wamback petition this morning toronto police chief julian fanuho will become the 900000th person to sign a national petition to change the young offenders act circulated by the family of a newmarket teen who was beaten into a coma a year ago fantino york regions former chief will sign the petition at a newsconference at the toronto police union headquarters bruce davis president of the ontario association of chiefs of police will also sign the petition the petition is part of a cam paign by joe and loizanne wamback to toughen thelegis- lation their 16yearold son jonathan was severely beaten last summer three youths have been charged jonathan who emerged from a coma after three months but still faces extensive therapy will beat the hews conference thewambacks will also unveil the second phase of their national bus sheltercampaign the family is hosting a din- ner cruise fundraiser tomorrow night on lake ontario man killed onhwy404 an 18yearold man was killed on hwy 404 saturday sebastiano zappulla was dri ving his ford ranger south when he lost control just south of stouffville sideroad at about 330 am he was pronounced dead at the scene