Town celebration highlights youth sport and leadership
Sport Aurora presented its 2026 School Athletes of the Year awards on Tuesday evening at the Aurora Town Park Bandshell, celebrating 36 students from 17 local schools for athletic achievement, leadership and efforts to promote healthy participation in sport.
The annual awards, now in their tenth year, brought together students, parents, coaches and community leaders to recognise young athletes from both the York Region District School Board and the York Catholic District School Board. Sport Aurora officials said the selections reflect not only competitive success but also commitment to sport as a means of encouraging others to be active.
Winners across elementary and secondary schools
Representatives from the organisation said each school nominated students who model sportsmanship and involvement. The honoured students include participants from neighbourhood elementary schools and Aurora’s secondary schools. The full roster of recipients covers individual and team sports and recognises both boys and girls across age groups.
- Total students honoured: 36
- Schools represented: 17
- Event location: Aurora Town Park Bandshell
List of School Athletes of the Year — 2026
The students recognised this year are:
| School | Student(s) |
|---|---|
| St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School | Tessa Scott; Matteo Casto |
| St. Jerome Catholic Elementary School | Blake Nerona; Lauren Forrest |
| Our Lady of Grace Catholic Elementary | Nikolas Pampoukis; Roisin Gamble |
| Holy Spirit Elementary School | Kaylee Chan; Gianluca Luberto |
| Light of Christ Catholic Elementary School | Tarun Dennis Justin; Riley Charbonneau; Sophia Palmieri; Simona Marcoccia |
| Aurora Heights Public School | Bessie Guo; Liam Panet |
| Northern Lights Public School | Elvin Liu |
| Wellington Public School | Paisley Tan; Ryan Elliott |
| Lester B. Pearson Public School | Jazmine Simon-Gurat; David Terec |
| Rick Hansen Public School | Jett Grozdanic; Ava Lawrence |
| Regency Acres Public School | Sophia Fotopoulos |
| Highview Public School | Reaksa Ky-Phoeun |
| Cardinal Carter Catholic High School | Adam Sistito; Olivia Iannuzzi; Julian Morra; Paulo Morra; Julia Gadyatskaya |
| Aurora High School | Ava Jurchison-Okubo; Graham Hughes; Paul Terec |
| St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic High School | (recipients continued in event list) |
Community impact and next steps
Organisers said the recognition aims to reinforce positive values in school sport and to encourage ongoing participation. Sport Aurora officials who led the ceremony included the organisation’s president and members of its celebration and recognition committee. The awards form part of local efforts to support youth programming and to link school-based sport with community recreation opportunities.
For families and coaches, the event offers a public acknowledgement of the time and effort students commit to their teams and to volunteer roles such as peer mentoring and youth leadership within school athletics.
