Country Day School sees more athletes off to university on scholarships

May 19, 2021 · 0 Comments

By Robert Belardi

In retrospect, you truly can’t paint everyone with the same brush. But what you can do is guide everyone with the same compass.
At The Country Day School it’s quite clear how students who attend the school are guided. Grow, educate and motivate students to take the road less travelled that ultimately leads to success. Sacrifice. Hard work. Dedication. Although these things are written they are most certainly not always done.
In the last few weeks we’ve seen students come out of the school and announce their scholarships to other locations. We’ve seen CDS point guard Carly Magarelli commit to U of T. Now we see two other, adept, three-term-athletes commit to post-secondary schools for this upcoming September.
Let’s get you acquainted with them.

Rachel Millar
Age: 17
Favourite Athlete: Serena Williams
Favourite Teams: Canada Women’s Soccer, Toronto Maple Leafs

Rachel Millar has been interested in Huron at Western her entire life. Her mother is an alumnus. Her grandfather as well. So, when push came to shove, it was a simple decision to want to head to London, Ontario this year.
The Schomberg native learned of the scholarship from a friend who is currently attending Huron.
“I submitted my application and that consisted of a resume, extracurriculars, jobs, volunteering. Pretty much everything you’ve ever been involved in you have to write down and then you have to write an essay on what you would contribute to the school,” Millar said.
“And you had to be nominated by your school.”
Following a few months of waiting, Millar finally heard back from the school. She had to answer a final series of questions. Following that, she was awarded the Huron at Western Hellmuth Scholarship. Recipients of this scholarship must have an average of 90 per cent or higher and be heavily involved in the community.
For her time at CDS, Millar was a three-term athlete since Grade seven, having been involved in soccer, hockey and tennis respectively. She began playing soccer ever since she was small in King City.
“Sports for sure have been the thing – I know CDS they talk about balance – so, with academics being really hard, I’ve always been able to go out after school and have the sports there which I loved,” Millar said.
“We also started the women’s hockey team at our school which was the first ever. I didn’t even know how to play hockey but getting involved in that is definitely something I appreciate now.”
It was a massive part of her life and it was nice to get away and take a break from academics. She made plenty of friends and grew her social network.
She also earned immense notoriety, installing beehives on the property of the school. The school was recognized in King Township and beehives are now part of the curriculum of the school.
Millar was also very active at King City Tennis Club and at the Pamper Pillowcase, supporting the women’s shelter in York Region.
This upcoming year, Millar will be studying Business. She got into Ivey Business School which she will be fully enrolled in after her second year in post-secondary. She is hoping to major in Economics.
“I’d like to thank CDS for all of the useful advice during this process. From the faculty, staff to all of my classmates, to my family, thank you for helping me get this far. It’s only the next step in the journey.”

Nevis Hunt
Age: 18
Favourite Team: Toronto Raptors
Favourite Athletes: Tyler Mislawchuk & Eliud Kipchoge
Hobbies: Backcountry Camping & Nordic Skiing

Nevis Hunt has committed to Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick this upcoming Fall pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce and Commerce Aviation Degree.
He has been awarded the Marjorie Young Bell Scholarship valued at $56,000.
“It’s nice to know I’m going to Mount Allison, a nice university and a place with a similar feel to what CDS has been. Small community in that sense. Going out there with that scholarship already putting me in a situation to succeed in the next four years of university and in the future,” Hunt said.
Coming from an athletic family, Hunt began sports when he was very young. He began competing in duathlons and triathlons since he was four years old.
Known as a “lifer” in CDS having been at the school since junior kindergarten, he began really competing with the school in grade four. In the winter, he got involved in basketball, cementing himself as a three-term athlete as well. He played track, basketball and cross country all the way up to last year.
It was also last year he formally switched from triathlons to duathlons.
“That summer I switched I qualified for the world duathlons in Almere, Netherlands last September. Because of the pandemic they have been postponed until this September,” Hunt explained.
“Since I was six I always wanted to qualify for the worlds and represent Canada on the world stage.”
Next year there will be another event held internationally. As of now, Hunt is still on Team Canada and is aiming to represent the country next year.
Hunt’s life in sport, has helped him academically. He says they are both interrelated. Trying to be the best in sport has translated to him wanting to be the best version of himself in the classroom.
“The main thing is determination and hard work.”
Hunt also added that CDS made it very possible to be involved in the community. He leaves the school having played in three bands, was the School Ambassador, Intramural Coordinator and having a role in Student Council.
Part of earning his scholarship was his “Education With Balance.” He says Mount Allison was very pleased with his awards, such as the Robert M. Ross award, the Gold Core Awards and the Duke of Edinborough Awards (Bronze and Silver). He was also involved as a ski instructor in the local community.