PVNC Inspires: St. Stephen CSS student Jessie Pellerin shines bright on the international hockey stage

Well-rounded. Supportive. Selfless. Dedicated. Humble. All words used to describe incredible athlete and student; Jessie Pellerin.

Jessie Pellerin, an enthusiastic Grade 12 student-athlete at St. Stephen Catholic Secondary School, recently made a significant mark on the international stage representing Team Canada in the IIHF U18 World Ice Hockey Championship in Switzerland. Under the mentorship of esteemed St. Stephen CSS alumna and Olympic gold medal winner, Tara Watchorn, Pellerin played a pivotal role in securing a bronze medal for the team.

Pellerin balances her honour roll academics with her elite athletic endeavours and has played a variety of sports for the St. Stephen CSS school community including tennis, soccer, and her all-time favourite, hockey.

“Jessie is the sort of student who hears feedback, and implements it because she wants to continually improve,” said teacher Angela Richardson. “This must be what she does both in sports and academics as demonstrated by her representing Canada on the U18 women’s team.”

The U18 World Ice Hockey Championship ran from Jan. 6 to Jan 14 and saw Pellerin and her teammates secure the bronze medal with a convincing 8-1 win over Finland’s national team. As an act of community, many students and staff gathered in the learning commons to cheer on both Pellerin and Watchorn during the quarter-final game win against Switzerland, which resulted in a convincing 6-0 victory for Team Canada.

“Jessie is such an amazing student-athlete and well-rounded person,” noted Chris Heitzner, physical education teacher. “It was awesome to see Jessie’s hard work and love of hockey be recognized at such a high level.” The athletics department in particular eagerly awaits the opportunity to hang up Pellerin’s Team Canada jersey, alongside Watchorn’s Olympic jersey, on the Royals Athletics Wall of Fame.