Small schools can bring big advantages, says $100,000 scholarship recipient

Jeff Green | Jun 09, 2021

Catherine (Cassie) Douglas was on a horse that she was training at Circle Square Ranch, the camp that her parents manage on Big Clear Lake, near Arden, when she got the email.

“I kind of screamed a bit. I had to calm the horse down right after,” she recalled, in an interview this week.

Cassie had gone through the application process for the Schulich STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) scholarship to the Queen’s Engineering department back in January and had promptly put it out of her mind.

She was considering her options after being accepted at both Queen’s and the University of Toronto, and applying for a number of scholarships at both schools, when she heard about the Schulich scholarship in May.

“I have had to keep it quiet until the announcement last week, which is hard, because it is really exciting to be going to Queen’s, and to be able to go through debt-free as well.”

The fact that Cassie won a STEM scholarship from a school that does not offer a formal STEM program to its students, is not lost on her, but she said that some of the advantages that come from attending a school with a supportive environment outweigh any disadvantages.

STEM is based on the idea of teaching the four disciplines in an interdisciplinary and applied approach rather than as separate and discrete subjects.

The Limestone Board does not offer a formal STEM program at any of their High Schools, but offers an Advanced Placement Program, which is offered at Bayridge, Frontenac, and Loyalist.

Cassie was home-schooled until she enrolled at GREC for grade 9, and she said that her grade 9 math and science teacher, Mr. Smith, gave her all the direction she needed to excel in the STEM fields of study.

“I found that Mr. Smith, and Miss Steele-Drew were always encouraging me and providing learning opportunities, from the day I arrived at GREC really. The kind of support that I found at GREC was as important as any of the opportunities that are available at the larger schools,” she said.

“Since she arrived in Grade 9, Cassie has excelled academically in all areas and has positioned herself as a leader. She has received numerous subject awards for excellence and has been on the Honour Roll for four years. She has also served as a Grade 9 Orientation leader/organiser, a peer tutor, and on numerous student committees,” said a release from Granite Ridge that accompanied the announcement of the Schulich scholarship on Monday (June 7).

“Cassie is an intelligent, responsible, dedicated and driven student who has a thirst for knowledge. She sets high standards for herself and works diligently to achieve her goals,” said GREC Principal Emily Yanch. “Cassie has an incredibly bright future ahead of her and thanks to the generosity of the Schulich Leader Scholarship, she can focus on her academics while pursuing her dream.”

“The scholarship application looked at grades, but they were also interested in leadership qualities. That I was the student council president for two years, captain of the hockey team last year, and have been doing some online tutoring in math, made a difference as well,” Cassie said.

Although she had been looking at the University of Toronto, where she had also been accepted, the Schulich scholarship was granted from Queen’s, which suits Cassie’s interests because “not only is Queen’s Engineering a very highly ranked program, it also has a general engineering first year, which will give me a chance to study different disciplines. That is great for me because I am not sure what I would like to focus on,” she said. She is considering either Mechanical of Civil Engineering at this time, leaning towards Civil engineering.

“Not having to decide right now is a great advantage,” she said. Her sister is a third year nursing student at Queen’s, and she will be happy to live in the same city as her, and she already has a shared house lined up with some first and upper year students for next year.

After a year of on and off virtual schooling, she is happy to know that Queen’s is planning to transition to more in-class learning in the fall.

“I have been okay with online learning, but not seeing my friends, since school went virtual in April, has not been that great,” she said. “I am excited that GREC will be having an in person outdoor graduation ceremony later this month.

Every high school in Canada may submit one Schulich Leader nominee per academic year.

Given the unprecedented challenges of this year, Schulich Leaders is awarding an additional 50 scholarships for a total of 100 this year. “We are proud to celebrate 10 years of Schulich Leader Scholarships, the premiere STEM scholarship program in Canada and the world,” says program founder Seymour Schulich. “This group of 100 outstanding students will represent the best and brightest Canada has to offer and will make great contributions to society, both on a national and global scale. They are the next generation of entrepreneurial-minded, technology innovators.”

(Editor's note – This year, just as last year, the Frontenac News is running a graduation feature in our June 24th edition. Families of graduating students, from all levels of education, are invited to submit a photo of their graduate, their name and academic achievement, for a $30 fee. See page 7 For further information, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)