J. Clarke Richardson is a school filled to the brim with amazing talent. The students here showcase their passions for everything from the arts to the sciences to sports, and deserve to be recognized for the time and skill they contribute to the school’s extracurriculars, performances, and competitions.
Sapna Suthar is a hard-working grade 12 student with a versatile skill set. She has exhibited many leadership qualities during her time at J. Clarke Richardson and has been a valued part of our community.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do in the school?
I’ve been a part of a variety of clubs, including Concert Band, DECA, Robotics Club, Computer Science Club, Cultures of Richardson, Girls Who Code, and Ultimate Frisbee. I’ve also helped run and plan a variety of events like the Computer Science Panel, Website Workshop, Cybersecurity Workshop and Tech Spirit Week. On top of these events, I helped backstage during International Day.
What made you interested in these extracurriculars and why?
When I joined JCR, I was new to the district, so a lot of the clubs I joined in grade 9 were used as a way to meet new people and explore interests. These clubs included DECA because I thought I would go into business and Concert Band because it was our ISU mark for our band class. I enjoyed both clubs so much, I continued taking part for the rest of high school. I joined Girls Who Code in grade 10 online because I was interested in coding as a possible career, and this year I became co-president.
Computer Science Club I originally joined so that I could participate in the Waterloo Coding Competition in grade 11. The Robotics Club interested me because it gave me a chance to explore hardware and create something. Lastly, I joined Ultimate Frisbee because during the pandemic, I had started playing Frisbee a lot with my brother and so when I saw the school team, I was really excited to try out.
As for the events I chose to help plan, I focused on events I thought would be the most useful for students or would bring interest towards topics I thought were important. The Computer Science Panel started as something I thought would be helpful for me and other grade 12 students trying to make decisions about post-secondary education. The workshops and spirit week were meant to allow students to further their knowledge of STEM, as well as showcase areas of interest within the field that students might not have thought about or know little about.
Do you have any extracurriculars or hobbies outside of school? If yes, what about them interests you?
I’m not a part of many extracurriculars outside of school. But, I do sometimes volunteer at my temple, for example, by helping senior citizens learn to use computers. I help run child focused events at the temple, like the annual Halloween Party.
What are some of your favourite things to do outside of school?
Outside of school, I love doing things that I find relaxing. This includes baking, reading, listening to music, biking, skiing or just hanging out with friends.
How would you describe JCR and the school’s community? What are your favourite things about the school?
I would describe JCR as a very open and generally fun school. I think the fact that teachers are mostly very approachable helps. The overall atmosphere and school spirit creates a fun place to study. My favourite thing about the school would be the people and the variety of clubs we have. The school really puts an effort into creating clubs for everyone’s interests and allowing students to follow their passions.
What can you see yourself doing after high school?
After high school, I will be attending McMaster University for Engineering. However, long term, I want to be working on something I find meaningful and interesting.
A big goal of mine is to be able to work on a Formula 1 race car and be a part of the team that helps create those cars. Other than that, I just want to explore a variety of fields through engineering and maybe work on some cool tech.
If you could go back and redo high school, would you do anything differently?
If I could redo high school, I wouldn’t do anything differently in terms of courses I picked or clubs I joined. However, I wish my attitude when arriving in grade 9 was different. I was so focused on finding people to hang out with, that I didn’t put as much effort into finding people I had interests or compatibility with. But if you put in the effort, there are people that you can really connect to, who will be amazing friends to have around. Despite that, I’m quite happy with how everything turned out in the end, and any mistakes I made have helped shape who I am.
What is one big goal you would love to achieve if you had the opportunity?
A big goal of mine is to be able to work on a Formula 1 race car. I’ve been a huge fan of the sport for years now, and I think it would be really cool to combine my passion for the sport with my love for STEM and actually be able to make an impact on the car.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
If I could go anywhere in the world, I would love to go to Australia. Australia has been at the top of my list of places to travel for a while now, mainly for the coral and animals. I’m a huge animal lover, so the fact that Australia, on top of being stunning, has animals we can’t find anywhere else is a huge plus for me. I also really love coral, and I would love to see the Great Barrier Reef before it’s destroyed.
