Etobicoke is home to all three of the Toronto Catholic District School Board's (TCDSB) top graduating high school students this year.
Peter Cmorej from Bishop Allen Academy took top honours with an average of 99.33 per cent, while his classmate, Nataliya Yavorska came in second with an average of 99 per cent, and Anna Bui of Father John Redmond rounded out the top three with an average of 98.67 per cent.
Cmorej - who said he spent, on average, just 15 to 20 hours a week outside of school hours studying - managed to get perfect grades in four of his Grade 12 courses, including Psychology, Calculus, Advanced Functions and Chemistry, and 98 per cent in each of French and Religion. The key to his success: time management.
"I don't actually study that much. Basically it's all last minute stuff," he told The Guardian this week. "I don't really do anything others don't do; I just do the homework necessary and manage my time. I focus on the important things."
That winning strategy landed Cmorej both the TCDSB's Student Achievement Award and a $3,000 entrance scholarship to McMaster University, where he plans on studying Health Sciences with the goal of becoming either a neurologist or a cardiologist.
The son of two computer technology university grads, Cmorej said his parents are equally proud of both him and his younger sister, also a Bishop Allen student who is set to graduate next year - possibly with an even higher average than her big brother.
"My parents are proud for sure. They just want us to continue doing what we're doing," he said. "They support me all the way."
Yavorska, also from Bishop Allen Academy, earned the second highest overall average with 99 per cent. She scored 100 per cent in English, Calculus, Advanced Functions, and Chemistry and 97 per cent in Biology and Religion. Yavorska is planning to attend the University of Toronto, where she hopes to obtain a degree in pharmacology.
Father John Redmond's Bui is the TCDSB's third top graduating student with an average of 98.67 per cent. She will be attending the University of Toronto where she plans to complete a double major in Mathematics and Chemistry. Bui received the TCDSB Catherine Temple Mathematics Award of $4,000 as well as various scholarships from the University of Toronto totalling $8,000 for her first year of studies.