Penticton Rotary names Katie Drobe first Student of the Month for 2022-23

The Rotary Club of Penticton Sunrise has named its first Student of the Month for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Katie Drobe is a Grade 12 student at Princess Margaret Secondary School. Drobe is the Rotary's October pick, and the 50th Student of the Month they have recognized over the eight years they have been running the program recognizing exceptional students in the community.

Drobe is described as gifted, energetic and charming, with a talent for both academics and athletics and a love for community fundraising and school spirit.

“Katie is an exceptionally mature young person who excels in academics. In Spanish class, she shows a great ability in language learning and often pursues more sophisticated and authentic language use far beyond that required," said her modern languages teacher Pauline Tinka.

Drobe is a leadership student, responsible for organizing this year's Terry Fox Run fundraising campaign and a fundraiser for the South Okanagan Women in Need Society, a member of the field hockey team, and a top academic with an average grade of 97.5 per cent in Grade 11.

"Katie is an outstanding individual in our school and community. She has demonstrated how to be a respectful, caring and responsible person from the day she arrived at Maggie. In pre-calculus 11, she not only achieved greatness, but helped everyone else in the class as well. Beyond her top academic and athletic (field hockey) skills comes her ability to lead and volunteer for community/school initiatives," said physical/health education and math teacher Archie McKinnon.

Outside of school, Drobe works part-time at Blenz. This past summer she held down three jobs, saving up money for future travel.

"Believing in myself and overcoming self-doubts/insecurities, especially when learning new skills, as my biggest struggle in life," Drobe said, in self-reflection. It's an aspect of herself she strives to challenge, recently taking up alpine skiing at Apex and learning to drive.

"My high grade average is not because academics come easy to me but because I am trying my hardest to set myself up for future success, a core value instilled in me by my father.”

Drobe plans to study biomedical engineering studies at UBC after graduation, then embark on a career employing new technologies to solve critical health and medical problems.

"Student of the Month" is a Rotary Club of Penticton Sunrise project. The award aims to recognize outstanding students for unique achievement in scholastics, extracurricular activities, community involvement, leadership, and service to others. The Club is pleased to recognize Penticton Secondary School and Princess Margaret Secondary School as project partners and Cascades Casino Penticton for generous financial aid.