UWindsor students Paul Peladeau and Steve Nicodemo and their partner in Windsor-based media company LiquidWild, Sean Davidson, have won their way to the business plan competition at the Ontario Centres of Excellence’s 2012 Discovery Conference.

The creative trio entered their business plan through the Centre for Enterprise and Law, where they have been enjoying an OCE-sponsored internship and mentorship to help launch their business to its fullest potential.

They will head to Toronto to compete against eight other applicants on May 14 and 15 for a chance to win $25,000. The event will garner over 2,600 attendees and 330 exhibitors, bringing together key players from industry, academia, government, the investment community as well as entrepreneurs and students to pursue collaboration opportunities.

Visit uwindsor.ca/cel for more information about the centre’s mentorship program. Learn more about the Windsor finalists at liquidwild.com. Read about the event at ocediscovery.com.

University is not just a place to secure a career, says Tanya Basok, “It’s a place to become a good global citizen and break down the walls of injustice.”

Director of the Centre for Studies in Social Justice, she bestowed its 2012 Student Social Justice Project of the Year Award on the Charter Project. Formed in observance of the 30^th anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the group promotes understanding of this landmark document.

“It is very important to raise awareness among the Canadian people about the resources available to protect their rights,” Dr. Basok said Wednesday at an awards ceremony in the law school. “We value the contributions of these law students to raising discussion of the Charter and its role in advancing social justice.”

Michael O’Brien, a co-founder of the project, said the recognition was an honour. He said the Charter Project’s mission reflects Windsor Law’s commitment to access to justice.

“We tried to meet that commitment through educational efforts in schools, online, and through the media.”

The Project has produced a series of public service announcements featuring Canadian celebrities now airing in movie theatres across Canada, and videos of legal experts discussing the impact of the Charter on law and society. Watch them online.

A semester’s worth of preparation will reach its culmination over the next two weeks, as students in all programs write their final examinations.

Mohsan Beg, director of the Student Counselling Centre, says it’s his busiest time of year – but he wouldn’t want it any other way.

“If students are feeling stressed out, we want them to know they can come and talk to somebody,” he says.

He says young people have many stressors and their effects can be cumulative.

“Sometimes all you need is one session to talk to someone, even briefly. That can make a huge difference,” Dr. Beg says. “Just don’t leave things until they get too unmanageable.”

He urges students to remember to take care of themselves during the exam period.

“Sleeping well, eating well – you can’t ignore these things if you want to do your best.”

He invites students needing to speak with someone to make an appointment by phoning 519-253-3000, ext. 4616 or stopping by the Student Counselling Centre in room 293, CAW Student Centre.

Final examinations begin Monday, April 9. Find a full list of exam times and locations on the Web site of the registrar.

University Players is offering DailyNews readers a chance to win two tickets to see Neil LaBute’s modern comedy Some Girl(s), the last show of the season. The play's run continues through Sunday, April 15, at Essex Hall Theatre. Wednesday through Saturday performances are at 8 p.m.; Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. For more information or tickets, call 519-253-3000, ext. 2808, or visit www.universityplayers.com.

To enter the contest, just send your answers to the following three trivia questions, drawn from the company’s 2012/13 season. The winner will be randomly selected from all correct responses received by 4 p.m. Monday, April 9.

1. Who wrote the murder mystery The Hollow, slated for a Hallowe’en production?
   a) Agatha Christie
   b) Arthur Conan Doyle
   c) Ian Rankin
   d) Georges Simenon
    
2. Which of these Molière works predates Tartuffe?
   a) The Learned Ladies
   b) The Misanthrope
   c) The Miser
   d) The School for Wives
    
3. In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, which character was born with the name Ernest?
   a) Alegrnon Moncrieff
   b) Lady Bracknell
   c) Cecily Cardew
   d) Jack Worthing

Contest is open to all readers of the DailyNews. Send an e-mail with your responses to uofwnews@uwindsor.ca. One entry per contestant, please.

Natalie Ethier is really following in her mother’s footsteps.

A senior at L’Essor high school, she plans a career in education like her mother, Rachelle Ethier, a teacher at Tecumseh’s Ecole St-Antonie. And like her mother, Natalie Ethier is a recipient of a Human Kinetics Book Award – one of 25 given out Thursday to the outstanding student-athlete graduating from each area high school.

“I have always had a love for sports and I always wanted to teach,” said Ethier, an all-star volleyball, basketball and soccer player who also maintains an A-average in her classes.

She plans to study kinesiology at the University of Windsor in September and said she can’t wait.

“I am so excited to start a new chapter in my life, meet new people and do new things!”

Jordan Deneau is also looking forward to coming to campus this fall. He earned top grades in his exercise science and sports management classes at Brennan High School.

“Human kinetics is what I want to do,” he said. “A lot of my friends are in the program and I want to stay in my hometown with all my buddies.”

Captain of Brennan’s football team, he plans to try out at defensive back with the Lancers. He also played on two SWOSSA-champion hockey squads as a Cardinal.

Deneau also boasts a family tradition: both his mother Barb (BScN 1990) and father Steven (BA 1989) are grads.

Here is the full list of 2012 HK Book Award winners: 

• Sarah Wong, Academie Ste. Cecile International School 
• Steven Kulesza, Assumption College School 
• Johny Krahn, Belle River District High School 
• Jordan Deneau, F.J. Brennan High School 
• Katrina Paty, Cardinal Carter Catholic Secondary School 
• Jenna Diamante, Catholic Cental High School 
• Jessika Veigli, Essex District High School 
• Natalie Ethier, École Secondaire L'Essor 
• Christina Mo, J.L. Forster Secondary School 
• Michael Mallender, General Amherst High School 
• Jenna Wright, Harrow District High School 
• Brandon  McBride, W.F. Herman Secondary School 
• Christian Ieraci, Holy Names High School 
• Travis Durocher, Kennedy Collegiate Institute 
• Caitlyn Longmuir, Kingsville District High School 
• Nicholas Marentette, École Secondaire E.J. Lajeunesse 
• Danielle Vandervecht, Leamington District Secondary School 
• Kevin Victor, Maranatha Christian Academy 
• Alexandra Moore, Vincent Massey Secondary School 
• Britney hawkins, Riverside Secondary School 
• Anthony Valeri, St. Anne High School 
• Derek Murphy, St. Joseph’s Catholic High School 
• John Travo, St. Thomas of Villanova Secondary School 
• Jordyn Severin, Sandwich Secondary School 
• Nadia Green, Walkerville Collegiate Institute

The awards recognize students who have maintained outstanding academic performance and have made exceptional contributions to their schools and communities through athletics, leadership and volunteer activities.

Each honoree received a sports- or health-related book to keep, and their school libraries will receive a copy of Tarnished Rings: The International Olympic Committee and the Salt Lake City Bid Scandal, with a book plate acknowledging the honoured students. UWindsor kinesiology professor Scott Martyn is one of the book’s editors.