March 9, 2016 Letter of Reference Dear Sir or Ma’am: ‘This letter of reference is for Matthew Bennet, I have known Matthew for two years, all in an athletic setting, Matt is 4 student at St. John Paul II Catholic School in Fort Saskatchewan while I am a teacher atthe same school Because most of my time with Matthew has been in Personal Fitness capacity (which is the two courses Matt has. taken with me), I have observed a growth and maturation of his leadership skills in that context. His growth as a leader has been exponential due to his overcoming several personal challenges, his experience, and a strong internal motivation. Mentorship is one of qualities Matt has gained during his time in Personal Fitness, For example, in his second semester of Personal Fitness, Matt became a mentor forall the new students. The amount of effort, both physical and mental, is daunting. Since the beginning ofthat semester, he had shifted his focus from preparing and ‘motivating only himself, to extending his experience and skills to the newer students. Considering the level of assessment and drive for higher marks it would be easy for a student to remain self-centered and focus on themselves alone. This simple act of social responsibility benefited the entire class, ensuring the quality of ‘experience for all students is positive and effective, and demonstrates how Matthew leads through mentorship. Confidence, inspiring, and leading by example have been a collection of quality characteristics Matthew has developed in the past year. From the end of his first semester and starting into the second, there was no one in the Personal Fitness class that worked as hard as Matt. As such, he has gained a tremendous amount of confidence in his abilities asa student, as an athlete, and as a leader. These characteristics all translated into his athletic life. His acrobatic physicality is unmatched in our school and every exciting play he makes, even in practice, inspires his teammates to play harder. Matthew's strong academic performance has been extremely impactful on many of his ‘teammates and friends who were either straggling with study skills or struggling with choices for their future, He is someone who will take the lead in any drill, any competitive situation, any off-court volunteer activity, and never shies away from things that will help his teams win. In either case; athletic or academic; Matthew now exudes a ‘confidence, patience, and desire to lead by example that student athletes on his teams try to emulate Thave always found Matthew to be prepared, professional, personable and passionate. Iam happy to act as a reference for him, and would welcome any questions you have about this letter, or any other observations I may have. As a kinesiologist, teacher, and coach, | would fove to have someone like Matthew working with me, because know that T would always be assured of receiving his absolute best in everything he does. Sincerely, Sean K. Reader B.A., B.Kin., B.Ed., CEP, NCCP Level 3 Physical Education and High Performance Training Teacher St. John Paul II Catholie School 997593 Avenue, Fort Saskatchewan, AB 780-992-0889 (office) 780-998-7345 (fax) seanr@eies.ab.ca www,p2hseicsab.ca