Canadian superstar swimmer Penny Oleksiak threw a knapsack on her shoulders and joined her peers Tuesday at her Toronto high school, where she began her first day as a Grade 11 student.
Oleksiak, who thrilled the nation with her four-medal haul at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro last month, arrived at Monarch Park Collegiate Institute to pick up her timetable.
Waving to friends, the 16-year-old also spoke with reporters about what it’s like to be back home, what subjects she’s looking forward to studying in school this year, and how her swim training will fit in with her academics.
Oleksiak said she doesn’t think of herself as a “celebrity,” and her Olympic fame won’t make things “too different” among her peers.
“Coming back it’s just like, ‘Oh it’s Penny, she’s been here for the past two years.’”
Like most kids her age, Oleksiak said she wasn’t “super anxious to come back” to school. However, she is looking forward to studying science.
Monarch Park C.I. principal Cynthia Abernethy told reporters the whole school has been rooting for Oleksiak since she was named to the Canadian Olympic team last spring.
“As we watched Penny’s progress at the Olympics with both her teammates and on her own, I can’t tell you the joy that we experienced as a school,” Abernethy said.
But, that’s doesn’t mean Oleksiak is getting the star treatment.
Abernethy noted that Oleksiak has a full timetable, including one online course to accommodate her swim training schedule.
