One day before leaving for Victoria to begin her post-secondary education, 2010 Merritt secondary school grad Courtney Reynoldson received the perfect send-off from her alma mater.

Merritt Secondary School principal Karen Goetz presented the Governor General's Bronze Medal to Reynoldson at the high school on Friday. The medal is awarded each year to the graduating student with the highest average marks at high schools across Canada. Reynoldson was also the class of 2010's valedictorian.

“I look at the Grade 11 and Grade 12 marks” to determine the averages, Goetz explained on Friday. Although the school year ended in June, Goetz had to wait for students' provincial exam scores, released in August, before she could find their averages.

“I calculated them a couple of days ago.”

Based on her Grade 11 and Grade 12 marks, Reynoldson had a 93.8 per cent average, the highest out of about 130 students in the class of 2010.

The next student in the running for the medal was close behind, said Goetz. “It was about a 1.5 per cent difference, roughly.”

At first, Reynoldson says, she was surprised to learn she had a chance of winning since she did not realize the Governor General's Bronze Medal was given out at all Canadian high schools.

Even after Reynoldson found out that Merritt Secondary School would award the medal, she says, “I kind of thought I might win it but I wasn't counting on it.”

On Saturday, Reynoldson left for the University of Victoria, where she will study history once the new school year starts.

While in Grade 11, she had planned to enroll in the university's theatre program.

After she was accepted, however, Reynoldson decided to major in European history instead.

“I was more interested in the history than the theatre,” when she looked at the course descriptions, Reynoldson explains.

Living in Victoria and on her own will be a new experience, but she is looking forward to it. “I've only been to Victoria two or three times, and most of that was to see UVic.

“I just really like the weather.”