'Consistency': Toronto school board salutes three Grade 12 students who averaged more than 99.5 per cent
![TDSB top scholars Elina Tabrizi (left) and Arisha Mahey (right) are two of the top three Grade 12 students at the TDSB for the 2023-24 academic year.](/content/dam/cp24/en/images/2024/8/14/tdsb-top-scholars-1-7000621-1723654910459.jpg)
For many students, graduating high school with a decent average is a feat in itself.
But for three hard-working Toronto high school students this year, decent meant leaving almost nothing on the table.
The Toronto District School Board this week revealed the three graduating Grade 12 students who scored the top averages across all public high schools in the city for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Just 0.2 percentage points separate the three, making it an Olympic-style finish.
Arisha Mahey of Northview Heights SS scored an average of 99.6 per cent, while Emma Brijlall Nakahara, who attended Virtual School, came in at 99.7 per cent. Jarvis CI student Elina Tabrizi was the TDSB's top student this year, with an average of 99.8 per cent.
Speaking with CP24 Wednesday morning, Tabrizi boiled her success down to a word: consistency.
"I would say, consistency with maintaining the same studying routine throughout the years," Tabrizi said when asked how she accomplished the enviable average. "I think that's the main thing that helped me."
She said it was helpful when she discovered that she studied best late at night or as early as 5 a.m. in the morning.
"That really left me with a lot of time throughout the day to socialize with friends, screen time, extracurriculars, all that stuff. And that really worked for me. It might be different for other people," Tabrizi said.
Having finished her high-achieving high school career, Mahey said she's happy she gets to share the success that all her hard work has brought.
"Honestly, it just kind of shows that all my hard work paid off," she said. "For four years you've been grinding out a lot of late nights. Some days, I was even up all night, getting no sleep before my next school day. So it was a lot of fun. I'm super excited that my friends and family get to share this experience."
Even more impressive, the top scholars did more than just study through their high school years.
Tabrizi took part in volleyball, contemporary dance, and the yearbook and prom committees.
Brijlall Nakahara participated in the newsletter, yearbook and tutoring clubs, while also practising judo outside of school and volunteering with the High Park Nature Centre and the Toronto Public Library Teen Council.
Meanwhile Mahey played on Northview’s Varsity Soccer Team and served as president of the school's business and art clubs an co-president of the tutoring club.
While some might consider the extra-curricular activities distractions, Tabrizi said they in fact helped her to avoid burnout from academics.
"I just I think that those extra things are essential if you want to do good," she said. "Having dance on the side and volleyball on the side, it really helps keep you going. So I think it's very important."
Going forward, Tabrizi will be studying Health Sciences at Queen’s University in the fall, hoping to follow in the footsteps of her parents, who are both doctors.
Mahey will be studying Management and Organizational Studies at Western University with the Ivey Advanced Entry Opportunity status.
Brijlall Nakahara, meanwhile, will be attending the University of Toronto's Scarborough Campus to study Conservation, Policy, and Creative Writing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7033216.1726021317!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Kamala Harris goes on offence against Donald Trump in combative debate
Democratic U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris put Republican Donald Trump on the defensive at a combative U.S. presidential debate on Tuesday with a stream of attacks on abortion limits, his fitness for office and his myriad legal woes.
Key quotes from the Trump-Harris 2024 U.S. presidential debate
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris and former U.S. president Donald Trump took the stage on Tuesday night for their first and only scheduled presidential debate before the Nov. 5 election.
FACT CHECK: A look at the false and misleading claims made during the Trump-Harris debate
In their first and perhaps only debate, former U.S. president Donald Trump and U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris described the state of the country in starkly different terms. As the two traded jabs, some old false and misleading claims emerged along with some new ones.
Trump campaign falsely accuses immigrants in Ohio of abducting and eating pets
Former U.S. president Donald Trump’s campaign and his allies are amplifying false rumours that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were abducting and eating pets, another instance of the inflammatory and anti-immigrant rhetoric Trump has promoted throughout his campaigns.
U.S. presidential historian predicts results of November elections. Here's who he says will win
An American presidential historian is predicting a Kamala Harris presidency as the outcome of the upcoming U.S. elections in November.
Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for U.S. president after debate ends
Taylor Swift, one of the music industry's biggest stars, endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly after the debate ended on Tuesday night.
Some restaurants have increased their default tip options. Canadians think you should give this much
Despite what the default options on the payment terminal might read, most Canadians still want to tip around 15 per cent, according to a new survey.
Dave Grohl says he fathered a child outside of his marriage
The Foo Fighters frontman announced that he recently became a father again, writing in a statement on his Instagram page on Tuesday that his new baby girl was born 'outside' of his marriage to his wife Jordyn Blum.
$2M home belonging to children's musician Raffi on the market
Canada’s children’s troubadour is selling his B.C. home, which is now up for grabs for $1,995,000.