Two teams of Peninsula athletes and the winner of a prestigious scholarship have been celebrated by White Rock council for recent notable achievements.
Members and coaches of Earl Marriott Secondary's senior boys AAA and senior girls AAAA volleyball 
teams were invited to city hall Jan. 13 to mark their provincial championship (boys) and silver-medal wins, both of which were notched in November.
In congratulating the teams as "a great source of pride and inspiration to this community," Mayor Wayne Baldwin acknowledged the effort it takes to win at that level.
"A lot of practise, playing and dedication over not just one year, but many years," he said. "I'm well-aware how hard it is to do what you have done. One bad game can throw everything out the window."
Semiahmoo Secondary's Anmol Jawandha was noted for his academic success, in being announced earlier this month as a recipient of the Blyth Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholarship.
The scholarship, worth about $150,000, is one of the largest available to Canadian students. Jawandha's win marked the third consecutive year that it has been claimed by a Semiahmoo student.
"You set an example of what is truly possible through hard work, education and maybe just a little brain-power," Baldwin said, evoking laughter at the intentional understatement.
"I'm sure you're going have a very, very, very bright future."