La Ronge, Sask. student Robin Louis used school to build a bright future
Robin Louis, 17, has never missed a day of school in his life
Robin Louis of Saskatchewan's Lac La Ronge Indian Band has almost reached perfection.
He's kept a perfect attendance record since kindergarten, and high school graduation is now just days away.
"I really didn't think I'd make it all the way to grade twelve," said Louis.
If you're not putting your all in it, you're not going to have the best future for yourself.- Robin Louis
"It wasn't all me," he added, crediting teachers and his parents for motivating him.
Teachers say younger students look up to Louis.
"Robin not only has had 100 per cent attendance since kindergarten but he is also a respectful hard-working young man," said Marian Andrews, the school guidance counsellor. "He is a great role model to younger students."
Football helps Louis stay healthy and is one of the reasons the 17-year-old makes sure to get to school every day.
Fifty-five students tried out for the sixteen spots on the northern team. The Senior Bowl features the best talent in Saskatchewan high school football.
Louis is talented enough that he's caught the eye of the Saskatoon Hilltops, in the Canadian Junior Football League.
He's been invited to the team's spring training camp.
"They're the best junior team in Canada so it's going to be a hard team to crack the roster on. But I'll do my best," said Louis.
Louis also works two part-time jobs (he used to have three, but decided that was too much).
He pumps gas and delivers pizza.
His philosophy about school is simple. School provides the building blocks for the future.
"If you're not putting your all in it, you're not going to have the best future for yourself," he said.
"I just wanted to essentially build a better me, every year."
Big plans for the future
Louis has big plans.
After graduation, he hopes to play for Saskatoon Hilltops Football and attend Sask Polytechnic to take an Emergency Response Technician course.
His advice to younger students? Go to school. It's free and will determine the kind of life you will have.
"These are the first years of finding out who you are as a person."