NIAGARA ACADEMY STUDENTS, 2011-2012

Ray Harris (St. Louis, Missouri) Ray is a gifted athlete and quick learner. In his position of running back with the Niagara Spartans, he excels in everything. He’s extremely competitive and wants to be the best. Even though he’s already got great speed, he’s working on becoming even faster. He likes being pushed. Although there were many opportunities for playing football in US high schools, he came to Niagara Academy is to concentrate on his academics to be ready for college next year. He finds the people friendly here and likes both the students and teachers, as well as the training opportunities. With his amazing talent and determination, we look forward to hearing about Ray’s future successes.
Mateusz Nowak (St. Catharines, Canada) Matt is a quiet, friendly person who is at Niagara Academy primarily for the academic program. He is enjoying his classes and finds them more enjoyable than the classes in his previous school. The small class size and the work load suits him well. He likes the family atmosphere at the academy. It feels more like home. Matt is a novice in physical fitness, but he has a keen interest in learning to use the fitness equipment. We look to having Matt on the tennis court and to seeing his continued academic success.
Nina Zhang (Windsor, Canada) Nina is an amazing young student-athlete. She is working at an academic level beyond her years and achieving marks in the 80s. Her natural love of learning and her work ethic make her a great student-athlete to coach and teach. On the court, she is very strong and knows how to dig deep. Her relentlessness and determination enable her to turn games around. Last August, she was a finalist in the U12 Nationals. Nina likes being at the Niagara Academy and in turn, her optimism and sociability make her a well-liked student-athlete at the academy. Well done, Nina.
Carlos Dickson (Caracas, Venezuela) After being here for the 2011 summer program, Carlos decided to stay at Niagara Academy for Grade 9. Carlos is a very personable student who likes everything about being at Niagara Academy. Being a warm-hearted person, he gets along well with everyone. Although he played only on clay courts in Venezuela, he has adapted well to the hard-court surface. He is able to move around the court quickly to play well at both the back of the court and at the net. We hope Carlos will take back good memories of Canada and Niagara Academy.
Diego Orozco (Culiacán, Mexico) Diego is at Niagara Academy to work on his tennis and English this year, but is undecided about the next few years. He is a quiet student who is fun to be with. He has enjoyed his home stay family and the friends he has made at the Academy. He also likes the fact that he can play so much tennis each day. He has been playing tennis for four years and appreciates the number of tournaments that are available in southern Ontario. His strong serve is his major weapon in competition, but he is now working on his footwork. His renewed commitment to both tennis and academics is already paying off. We wish him success in whatever he chooses to do in the coming years.
Diego Zavala (San Luis, Mexico) The Niagara Academy family atmosphere, the school and the tennis have made this a good year for Diego. He gets along well with his peers and likes to have fun. He feels he has made very good progress with his English, which was one of his goals in coming here. Diego played tennis for four years before coming to Canada. He is like a wall on the tennis court. He frustrates his opponents by getting every ball back over the net. He is enjoying the competition and is learning to be more aggressive in his game. We hope Diego takes back good memories of his time here when he returns home at the end of the school year.
Matthew Levasseur (Ridgeway, Canada) Matt is Niagara Academy’s football quarterback. He has a strong arm and great potential. He has always wanted to play football and, as a result, spent some years in American schools that specialized in football. Being a quick learner and a good listener helps him both in the classroom and on the field. He is happy with the Grade 11 academic program at Niagara Academy and is particularly pleased with the level of coaching expertise for his training program. In his training, he is now concentrating on his throwing accuracy and on becoming a stronger and faster player. With his great determination and ability, an American football scholarship is certain to be in Matt’s future.
Maria Gomez (Oaxaca, Mexico) Maria’s enthusiasm and dedication resulted in her being chosen as Student of the Month for December-January. As well, she showed the biggest improvement in her tennis skills. She has also played a very positive role in the classroom. Maria came to summer camp at Niagara Academy before trying the full year. She had been a club player prior to her Academy experience, but has now become a competitive player with a strong forehand. Her friendly nature and positive attitude has made her a favourite amongst both staff and students. In addition to the school and tennis, she has enjoyed her home stay experience. Although she intends to return to Mexico for her next school year, we hope she will spend more time with us in the future.
Nicholas Bested (Crystal Beach, Canada) Although Nick is a Canadian, he has gone to high school in the US where he obtained excellent academic grades while playing both soccer and football. He came to Niagara Academy for the second semester to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the intensive academic program and the excellent football training. Nick is mainly training as a kicker, but he has the confidence, athletic ability, and intelligence to play any position. Being a very sociable person, he gets along well with both staff and students. His concentration is helped by the small class size at Niagara Academy. He also appreciates the daily workouts and training with experienced coaches. Although he is still in Grade 11, Nick is seeing an excellent opportunity of earning a scholarship to an American University after Grade 12.
Brock Cameron (Ridgeway, Canada) Brock is one of Niagara Academy's first football players. On the football field, he plays outside linebacker. Although he's not as big as some of the other players, he has a great feel for the game. He has the natural ability to recognize the plays on the field, enabling him to quickly move to where he's most effective. At the school, he likes the variety in the schedule in which the same subjects are not always taught at the same time each day. In football practice, he likes the fact that there is skill and fitness training every day, not just field practice. Having a coach who has played US college football gives the athletes the benefit of a wealth of knowledge and experience. His good-natured personality combined with a 'never give up' attitude will be great assets as he moves forward in his education and career.
Monika Nowak (St. Catharines, Canada) Monika is highly motivated and hard-working student who sets and achieves high academic standards for herself. Her conscientiousness and eagerness to learn were part of the reason she was chosen as Student of the Month for November. Monika likes the learning environment at Niagara Academy and strives to obtain over 90% in all of her subjects. On the court, she is very coachable. She is very analytical and likes to understand the reason for everything. Her increased confidence on the court has helped her compete at a higher level this year and her friendly nature and cooperative spirit make her a valuable part of Niagara Academy.
Jordan Ellis (Fort Erie, Canada) Jordan is at Niagara Academy to concentrate on his academics and his football training. He is pleased with the one-on-one teaching and the opportunity finish Grade 12 with high grades. Jordan is well-suited for the position of center. He’s intelligent, aggressive and a natural leader. In addition, he has the size and strength required to handle being in the middle of the offensive line. Because he listens well and is hard-working with a strong desire to get better, he is very coachable. With his natural abilities and motivation on the field and in the classroom, Jordan is certain to be successful in obtaining his scholarship and in continuing his education and football at an American university.
Kyle Korus (Toronto, Canada) Kyle is back at Niagara Academy for a fourth year. He is a very cooperative student who is willing to help others. Although he is still in Grade 11, he is taking mainly Grade 12 subjects. Being a highly motivated academic student, his grades are consistently over 85%. He has developed very solid tennis skills over the last couple of years and is now playing more competitive tennis. He likes the opportunity at Niagara Academy to hit with so many good international players. Like our other student-athletes, his goal is to go to an American college on scholarship. With his natural intelligence and ability he is certain to be successful.
Magda Kovinic (Niagara Falls, Canada) Magda is a Grade 12 student who has been at Niagara Academy since Grade 8. She is now studying for her SAT exams so that she can move on to college next year. Magda, who is from Niagara Falls, is a very sociable student and likes the fact that students at the academy help one another and get along so well with one another. In tennis, she has solid technical skills and is able to play an amazing game of tennis. We look forward to hearing of Magda’s future successes.
Rodrigo Cue (Veracruz, Mexico) Rodrigo is back with us this year for Grade 10. He returned to Niagara Academy because he likes his tennis training, his host family and the opportunity to improve his English. He also likes the fact that there are more people his own age training intensively in tennis. Being a very likeable person, he gets along well with both staff and students. On the court he’s a very smart player with a tactical approach to the game. As he is becoming stronger, his ground strokes are also gaining strength. We enjoy having Rodrigo at the Academy and hope he will continue his education with us.
Maria Luisa Toledo (Apizaco, Mexico) Maria Luisa has been playing tennis for four years, but has had only one year of competitive tennis. Playing from the back court, her forehand and serve have been important parts of her game. This year, she has worked hard to become a more consistent player with better footwork. Because of her diligence and perseverance, she has also been very successful in improving her fluency in English. She is a kind person who is quite willing to help others. Her new friends and her home stay experience have made this a good year for Maria Luisa. We wish her good luck in her return to Mexico and hope she will return here soon.
Stephen Davis (Kingston, Jamaica) Although Stephen was born in Canada, he has lived most of his life in Jamaica. Stephen is a very intelligent, articulate and mature student who is taking Grade 9 subjects at Niagara Academy, despite the fact he would be in Grade 8 at his previous school. He has been playing tennis since he was very young, but started to take more intensive training in the last two years. Stephen is very athletic, with loads of talent. He has a strong forehand and can overwhelm his opponent with his explosive game. He decided to come to Niagara Academy in order to develop his game to a higher level with the ultimate goal of becoming a tennis professional. We look forward to watching Stephen’s game over the coming years.
Jon Konik (St. Catharines, Canada) Niagara Academy welcomes Jon back for a third year. This is Jon’s graduating year and his excellent academic results are certain to help him obtain an enviable scholarship for next year. This year his goal is to maintain his over 90% average and to study for his SAT exams. Jon is a quiet, even-tempered student. Bad days and good days don’t affect his tennis game. He’s a hard worker, committed to improve. He has been playing for 5 years now and has developed a very aggressive game. Jon’s intelligence and determination will undoubtedly lead him to success in all of his goals.
Emilio Valerio (Mexico City, Mexico) The first thing most people notice about Emilio is his smile. But one shouldn't be deceived by his friendly, quiet nature. He has great mental strength, which is a real asset in his tennis game. Emilio is in Grade 11 at Niagara Academy. He has travelled widely and is quite proficient in the English language. Niagara Academy has given him even more experience meeting people from different countries and cultures. After playing tennis for about 3 years, Emilio is ready for more intense tennis training. He likes the fact that there is no travel time between the classroom and the tennis courts. We have enjoyed having Emilio at Niagara Academy and feel confident that he has the skills and knowledge to succeed at his next level of education. To the top of the page
Anabell Cordero (Mexico City, Mexico) Anabell is an exceptional student. She was chosen Student of the Month for September, because of her determination to succeed. She came to Niagara Academy for the experience of living away from home and to have more intensive tennis training, along with the opportunity to learn English and French. Anabell loves to travel and finds living with a Canadian family has given her a better understanding of another culture. Academically, Anabell is a very strong student. She has made excellent progress in both English and French. In tennis, she feels she is learning to develop a more positive mental attitude in competition. Anabell's charismatic personality and hard-working attitude are sure to bring her success in reaching her future goals.

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NIAGARA ACADEMY STUDENTS, 2011-2012

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