Musician · Mentor · Mathematician · Bilingual
Graduated from Cairine Wilson Secondary School on June 25, 2026 as an Ontario Scholar, heading to uOttawa for Honours Mathematics that September — with a clarinet case, a love of puzzles, and a few years of leading, organising, and showing up for people along the way.
About
Natalie graduated from Cairine Wilson Secondary School on June 25, 2026, capping off four years spent playing clarinet in two bands, mentoring Grade 9 students through a leadership course, organising concerts, running bake sales, and somehow still finding time to fall deeper in love with mathematics.
She's the kind of person who doesn't just participate — she helps make things happen. Whether that's arranging a video game piece for the year-end concert or making sure the ticket booth runs smoothly, she's learned that good organisation and genuine care for the people around you goes a long way.
This September she begins her Honours Bachelor of Mathematics at the University of Ottawa, ready to bring that same energy to a whole new chapter.
"Curiosity got me into mathematics. Clarinet taught me how to practise. Four years of school events taught me everything else."
— Natalie ThorntonGraduated from
Cairine Wilson S.S. (25 Jun 2026)
Heading to
uOttawa, Sept 2026
Graduating average
86% · Ontario Scholar
Languages
English & French (DELF B2)
Graduation · June 25, 2026
Convocation
Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
Graduated from Cairine Wilson Secondary School on June 25, 2026 with an Ontario Secondary School Diploma — the culmination of four years of coursework, music, mentorship, and community involvement.
Academic Standing
Ontario Scholar
Named an Ontario Scholar for achieving at least 80% across six Grade 12 University Preparation courses — a province-wide recognition of sustained academic performance in the toughest stream of courses on offer.
Academic Standing
Honours Award — Honour Roll
Recognised with the Honours Award for maintaining Honour Roll standing throughout her time at Cairine Wilson — consistent, sustained performance across every subject, every semester.
Subject Award
Highest Mark — Interdisciplinary Studies
Awarded the Subject Award for achieving the highest mark in the school in Interdisciplinary Studies, recognising an ability to connect ideas and methods across disciplines.
Subject Award
Highest Mark — Music (Repertoire)
Awarded the Subject Award for achieving the highest mark in the school in Music-Repertoire — a natural extension of four years spent performing with the Concert and Jazz Bands.
Languages · OCDSB FSL Programme
OCDSB French Immersion Certificate
Certified through the OCDSB French Immersion programme, reflecting sustained study and fluency development in French alongside the regular Ontario curriculum.
Languages · International Certification
DELF B2 — Certified Bilingual, English & French
Holder of the DELF B2 certification, awarded by the French Ministry of Education and recognised internationally as proof of upper-intermediate French proficiency. B2 means Natalie can communicate fluently and spontaneously — reading, writing, listening, and speaking — with real confidence in both official languages.
Community Involvement
Minister's Certificate of Recognition — Bronze
Received the Minister's Certificate of Recognition for Community Involvement (Bronze) for volunteering more than 50 hours of community service over the course of her secondary school education.
Highlights
Music · 2026 Ottawa Musicfest
Silver Medal — CW Concert Band
Member of the Cairine Wilson Concert Band that earned a silver placement at the 2026 Ottawa Musicfest. Competing at a festival alongside bands from across the region, the result was a testament to the group's commitment through a full year of rehearsal.
Music · Year-End Concert
Arranged "BB's Song" for Graduate Performance
For the CW year-end concert, Natalie arranged BB's Song from the video game Death Stranding as the graduate performance piece — bringing a piece of music she loved into a format the full band could perform together as a send-off.
Jazz Band
Clarinetist, CW Jazz & Concert Bands
Four years of active membership in both the CW Concert Band and Jazz Band — performing across a wide range of styles and repertoire, and developing the discipline and ensemble awareness that only comes from playing alongside others week after week.
Music · Selected · Two Years Running
OCDSB All-Star Band
Hand-selected twice to join the OCDSB All-Star Band — an ensemble that draws top student musicians from across Ottawa-area high schools and prepares a full concert in roughly seven rehearsals. Being chosen once is an honour; being chosen again says something about the consistency behind it.
Leadership · Grade 12
Link Crew — Mentoring Grade 9 Students
Completed Link, a Grade 12 leadership course built around supporting incoming Grade 9 students as they transition into high school. Natalie served as a mentor, helping new students navigate routines, find their footing, and feel genuinely welcome from day one.
Event Organisation
Band Concerts & Bake Sale Coordinator
Played an active role organising multiple band concerts and events — from logistics and promotion through to ticket sales and running bake sales. The kind of work that's invisible when it goes right and only noticed when it doesn't.
Academia · Accepted 2026
Honours Bachelor of Mathematics, uOttawa
Accepted into the Honours Bachelor of Mathematics programme at the University of Ottawa, beginning September 2026 — on the strength of an 86% graduating average. A natural next step for someone who has always found as much satisfaction in an elegant proof as in a well-played phrase.
What I bring
Organisation & Event Planning
Planned and delivered multiple school events from the ground up — coordinating logistics, managing ticket sales, handling promotion, and keeping things moving on the day. Good at seeing what needs doing before being asked.
Mentorship & Peer Support
Genuinely enjoys helping people find their feet. Through Link and the wider school community, Natalie has practised meeting people where they are — patient, encouraging, and good at making others feel like they belong.
Analytical Thinking
A mathematical mind that enjoys working through problems carefully and logically. Comfortable sitting with a hard question long enough to actually understand it rather than reaching for the nearest shortcut.
Creativity & Arrangement
Arranging BB's Song for a full concert band from scratch required listening, musical intuition, and a lot of patience with notation software. Natalie approaches creative problems with the same methodical curiosity she brings to mathematics.
Teamwork & Ensemble Skills
Years of band have made listening a reflex. Playing in an ensemble means constant awareness of the people around you — when to lead, when to follow, and how to make the whole sound better than the parts.
Reliability & Follow-through
The kind of person who signs up for something and then actually does it. Bake sales get baked for. Concerts get organised. New students get met at the door. Natalie takes commitments seriously and sees them through.
Before the first lecture at uOttawa, Natalie is looking for a summer role where she can put her organisational, people, and analytical skills to work. If you think she'd be a good fit for your team, she'd love to hear from you.