Lloyd presented Governor General Award

By Melissa Piche Times Contributor

Evan Lloyd was presented the Governor General medal on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at the Strathmore High School. 

Presenting the award was Principal Doug Raycroft, who was happy to share this moment with fellow peers and drama teacher Deanne Bertsch. 

The Governor General Award is presented to the student with the highest academic average over three years – Lloyd’s average was 95 per cent. 

“Evan, we are honored to present this bronze medal to you on behalf of our Governor General Mary Simon, for the academic excellence that you have achieved at Strathmore High School,” said Raycroft during the ceremony. “It’s an honour for the student and also we’re very proud of our students that have been our Governor General Award winners over the years.”

Lloyd is currently attending MacEwan University in Edmonton where he is taking a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) majoring in musical theatre. For his particular program, the enrolment is very select, only accepting 28 students a year. 

“It’s a thing I’m proud of myself for, it’s an achievement,” said Lloyd of his audition and acceptance into MacEwan. “The very first thing that I ever did, performing arts wise, was I joined the Wheatland Elementary choir in Grade 4.” 

Lloyd explained that his passion for the arts was something he was drawn to at a very young age. This interaction with choir and his involvement with Shrek the Musical in fifth grade carried through his junior high and high school years where he was heavily involved with the drama clubs. 

Outside of school, he was also a vocal student of LoraLee Laycock, where he performed for various festivals, including the Strathmore Performing Arts Festival, winning awards and scholarships for his achievements. 

In high school, he was a hit on shows such as Frozen or Grease. If he wasn’t front and centre on stage, he was in the sound room, ready to perfect the sound quality and lighting. He has also taken on the role of director for a number of productions over his high school career. 

On top of his success as a performing artist, Lloyd is an academic scholar with his Governor General award. 

“I have varied interests, so it makes me feel good to achieve in one – the one that I’m going to school for,” said Lloyd. “It also makes me feel good to have achieved in others that I still really care about despite not going to school for them.”

With only a few months at MacEwan under his belt, Lloyd already knows it’s a great fit. 

“I love it. I’m meeting such lovely interesting people and learning such lovely interesting things,” he said. “I’m really glad that I’m there and that I got in.”

He would like to see where his experiences will lead him.

“I’d love to professionally act, professionally perform. I have few illusions of going and doing the Broadway thing,” said Lloyd of his future plans within the arts community. He realizes he could be dreaming big, but why not? “There is acting in Canada and I’m going to squeeze the life out of it.” 

Lloyd hopes to inspire young people thinking about a career in acting or the fine arts.

“It’s a lot more possible than people think,” he said. “If it’s something you care about, you can just go out and do it. If you’re interested, for sure go out research what you can work at and learn at and you can do it.”