New Lieutenant Governor makes first northern visit to honour top students
Valerie G. Barnes Connell Jordan
Northern Advocate
Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Bernadette McIntyre made her first northern visit in September.
She visited several northern communities to present the Northern Saskatchewan Achievement Awards to students across the north, highlighting the 2025 Lieutenant Governor’s Award of Excellence recipients.
She visited Rossignal High School in Ile-a-la-Crosse on Monday, Sept. 15. Maddy Roy, a Grade 10 student at the school received the award. She has a 92 per cent average and is considered an “excellent scholar with an exemplary attendance record and “excels in the classroom.”
Also on Monday, Sept. 15, the Lieutenant Governor visited the Dene High School in La Loche.
Grade 8 student Mackhayla Basiri received the Lieutenant Governor’s Award of Excellence. Basiri is from the Phillipines and has “distinguished herself as a top student.” She loves literacy and “Mackhayla has even written a fantasy novel in her spare time,” reads the award description.
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, the Lieutenant Governor’s party visited Creighton Community School where Grade 9 student Elizabeth LaCrosse received the Lieutenant Governor’s Award of Excellence. LaCrosse is described as someone who’s “academic performance is outstanding.”
She lends a hand wherever she can and her teachers compliment her for her “kindness, reliability and enthusiasm.”
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, the Lieutenant Governor also visited Minahik Waskahigan High School in Pinehouse Lake.
Haley Iron, a Grade 7 student, was the recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award of Excellence, She is described as someone who “academic performance is consistently outstanding; and she contributes in a wide range of ways, language and culture, volunteer enthusiasm, a” talented violinist and spirited member of her school’s square-dancing group.”
Nolan McKenzie, a Grade 11 student at Rhoda Hardlotte Memorial Keethanow High School in Stanley Mission also received the Lieutenant Governor’s Award of Excellence. McKenzie holds a strong academic record, both work and contributions in the classroom. He is described as “displaying kindness, leading by example, inspiring his peers, and contributing meaningfully to the school community.”
McIntyre was in La Ronge at Churchill Community High School (CCHS) on Thursday, Sept. 18.
Demi Ahenakew is the CCHS grad, who received the Lieutenant Governor’s award. She is attending her first-year university, so was not present for the award presentation.
Ahenakew was described as a serious student who “approaches complex concepts with curiosity and enthusiasm. She asks insightful questions, collaborates with her peers, and meets her responsibilities.”
She is also deemed a leader on the volleyball court, whom “her coaches describe her as a role model, who inspires confidence and unity.”
Currently she is following her path to attain a Degree in Arts and Science with a focus on psychology at the University of Saskatchewan
While in La Ronge, McIntyre spoke about her visits to northern communities, the beauty of the north, and the importance of education, along with her role as Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Saskatchewan.
She grew up on a farm near Bethune, Sask. where her Dad was a farmer and her mother a schoolteacher. She attained several university degrees and worked in various jobs over the years.
McIntyre was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Jan. 31, 2025.
