Thames Valley DSB Welcomes First Nations Student Trustee
Photo Credit: Thames Valley DSB
The Thames Valley DSB has welcomed Canada’s first ever First Nations student trustee to its board. Tehatsistahawi (Tsista) Kennedy was elected to the board in September, following a suggestion from student trustees last May that the board create a student trustee position to be filled by someone who self-identifies as First Nation, Métis or Inuit. Tsista, a grade 11 student at Saunders Secondary School in London, was chosen from a group of seven Indigenous students and will work in tandem with First Nations trustee Phil Schulyer. He hopes to help Indigenous students become more connected to their own heritage.
For more information, read
“Canada’s first Indigenous student trustee wants more of his culture in the classroom” (www.cbc.ca – October 2, 2017), or “TVDSB establishes first Indigenous student trustee” at
www.tvdsb.ca/tsistakennedy
Photo Credit: Luke Bramer, APDA Drama Teacher at Glendale
Hamilton Wentworth DSB Theatre Arts
In September, students from Glendale Secondary School travelled to the Stratford Festival Theatre for a two-day experiential learning session. The 35 students enrolled in the school’s Program of the Arts met with theatre professionals working at the festival’s theatres for instructional sessions in performance and stagecraft. The Glendale program also has a partnership with Theatre Aquarius, Hamilton’s professional theatre that provides training in musical theatre. The board’s Audition-Based Program of the Arts is open to students in grades 9 to 11.
For more information, read “Glendale Program of the Arts students’ talents flourish at Stratford Festival” at
www.hwdsb.on.ca, posted Wednesday, September 20, 2017.
Elite Basketball Academy at Peel District School Board
In September, the Peel DSB added an elite women’s basketball program to its growing repertoire of specialty sports programs. Through a partnership with the Caledon Cougars Basketball Association, the board is offering the Caledon Basketball Academy, operating at Humberview Secondary School in Caledon. The Academy welcomed students from across the province for this inaugural year and will provide a range of programs and support to complement athletic coaching from program staff. Students are also expected to complete the regular high school academic curriculum and comply with the school’s code of conduct. This program runs separately from Humberview’s physical education program. Peel also runs dedicated elite football and soccer programs.
For more information, contact Poleen Grewal, superintendent of curriculum and instruction support services, Peel DSB,
(905) 890-1010 ext. 2343, poleen.grewal@peelsb.com, Sue Fried, principal, Humberview Secondary School,
(905) 857-0771 ext. 401 sue.fried@peelsb.com or Gord Everett, head coach, Caledon Basketball Academy,
(905) 691-7071 info@caledoncougars.ca.
Math Supports at Durham DSB
In September, the Durham DSB hosted the fifth running of the
Great Math Discovery Quest. This bi-annual event is offered to grade 9 students in the applied math stream who feel overwhelmed with math at the high school level. Over the day, students participated in games and challenges designed to strengthen their math skills in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere. Organizers also left students with some important points about how to achieve success in math, shattering some widely-held beliefs in the process.
Key messages shared with the students were:
- There is no such thing as a math person and a non-math person. Anyone can do math at high levels.
- Mistakes grow your brain.
- Depth of thought is more important than speed. You do not need to be fast to be good at math.
You can achieve at high levels if you believe in yourself.
