June 2010 Newsline.pdf - School District 83 North Okanagan ...
June 2010 Newsline.pdf - School District 83 North Okanagan ...
June 2010 Newsline.pdf - School District 83 North Okanagan ...
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<strong>North</strong> <strong>Okanagan</strong> -<br />
<strong>June</strong> 8, <strong>2010</strong><br />
Shuswap <strong>Newsline</strong><br />
LEARNING ZONE<br />
Child Poverty . . . two of teacher Cathy MacArthur’s social studies classes at Shuswap Middle <strong>School</strong><br />
have been studying child/world poverty. The students decided they wanted to inform others about<br />
this issue so they made informational signs and, on May 31, went on a “walkabout” from the school,<br />
down to City Hall and back. They also collected donations which were given to the Salvation Army.
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Okanagan</strong> Shuswap <strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong> Page 2<br />
(On left) Carlin student Bryson Hogan welds with Jim Ferro of Ferro’s Custom Welding and<br />
Repair while (photo on right) Taylor Harder’s welding with Onsite Plumbing’s Mark Crowther.<br />
Saying YES 2 IT!<br />
Trying out a welder, building a<br />
shelter, making an alarm circuit<br />
and designing hairstyles - these<br />
are just a few of the trades some<br />
students had an opportunity to<br />
try in their YES 2 IT program!<br />
Three local schools took part<br />
in the Youth Exploring Skills<br />
to Industry Training (YES 2 IT)<br />
program, which is a joint initiative<br />
of the Industry Training Authority<br />
(ITA) and the Ministry of<br />
Education (MOE).<br />
The program is designed to<br />
increase awareness of trades<br />
amongst younger students, as<br />
well as their parents and influencers.<br />
Grade 8 students at Eagle River<br />
Secondary, and Carlin Middle<br />
<strong>School</strong> as well as Grade 8-9 students<br />
at A.L. Fortune had the<br />
opportunity to take part in the<br />
YES 2 IT.<br />
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Okanagan</strong>-Shuswap<br />
<strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong> #<strong>83</strong> career supervisor<br />
Wayne Spencer explains<br />
school districts can apply<br />
for up to three grants annually<br />
for funding support from the<br />
ITA (up to $15,000 total) to offer<br />
the program. He said there<br />
are many benefits to this type<br />
of program, including exposing<br />
students to many careers/trades<br />
at a younger age. Each program<br />
is unique to the school. For instance<br />
at A.L. Fortune the talents<br />
of current and former Sec-
Working together to make a good school district better Page 3<br />
ondary <strong>School</strong> Apprenticeship<br />
students are tapped to teach the<br />
younger students.<br />
“The school district is very fortunate<br />
to have a wealth of talented<br />
small local businesses and<br />
Shuswap Industry Construction<br />
Professional (SCIP) members<br />
who give of their time to help<br />
our students,” adds Spencer.<br />
YES 2 IT provides an opportunity<br />
for youth to have a fun,<br />
hands-on, experience applying<br />
some of the skills used in a variety<br />
of trade careers while making<br />
connections with tradespersons<br />
in their community. In<br />
addition, classroom learning<br />
activities support the handson<br />
experience and parental involvement<br />
increases awareness<br />
of options and opportunities in<br />
the trades.<br />
Spencer points out these experiences<br />
are done in a safe environment.<br />
It also gives students<br />
some networking contacts if they<br />
decide they would like to pursue<br />
this farther along in their education<br />
(for instance by taking part<br />
in the secondary school apprenticeship<br />
program).<br />
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Okanagan</strong>-Shuswap<br />
<strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong> has an active<br />
career education department<br />
with opportunities for<br />
students to take part in work<br />
experience, ACE-IT and other<br />
dual credit courses (high<br />
school and college) as well<br />
as secondary school apprenticeships.<br />
For further<br />
information please contact<br />
the career education teacher<br />
at your local high school<br />
or career supervisor Wayne<br />
Spencer at 250 <strong>83</strong>2 3080.<br />
A.L. Fortune Grade 8-9 students worked with apprenticeship<br />
carpenters (on a Saturday!) to build this storage structure<br />
Working with Ed Klick of Techlectric to make circuits<br />
Jon McIntosh receives praise from Jane<br />
Leugner of Surya Salon, on the up-do he<br />
created on Brianna Giroux.
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Okanagan</strong> Shuswap <strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong> Page 4<br />
Battle of the Books!<br />
Students from Carlin, Parkview,<br />
<strong>North</strong> Shuswap, M.V. Beattie,<br />
Ranchero, Sorrento and Shuswap<br />
Middle tested their knowledge at<br />
the second annual district finals<br />
of Battle of the Books at Shuswap<br />
Middle <strong>School</strong> on May 4th.<br />
The district final was a very tight<br />
race as in all three age categories only<br />
one point determined the difference<br />
between first and second place.<br />
At the Grade 3-4 level, Team Pink<br />
of <strong>North</strong> Shuswap edged the Four<br />
Leaf Clovers of M.V. Beattie. At<br />
Grade 5-6 it was the Wicked Ninja<br />
Losers of Shuswap Middle <strong>School</strong><br />
who claimed first with the M.V.<br />
Beattie Lollipops close behind in<br />
second. At the Grade 7-8 level it<br />
was the Blue Flamingos of M.V.<br />
Beattie just getting by the Kooleo<br />
Something or Others of <strong>North</strong><br />
Shuswap.<br />
In Battle of the Books students<br />
form teams of two to four people<br />
and read 10 books. These teams<br />
then have “battles” where they are<br />
asked skill testing questions or have<br />
to recognize statements from the<br />
books they have read. The top two<br />
teams at each age category from the<br />
school level then get to go on to the<br />
district level.<br />
The event was revived last year,<br />
after years of being dormant,<br />
by teacher-librarian Christina<br />
McDermott. This year several<br />
others, including Irene Maurer and<br />
Shannon Murrells-Allaway, helped<br />
organize the event.<br />
Maurer comments this year’s<br />
Battle of the Books went very<br />
well but was a bit too late in the<br />
school year so they started having<br />
difficulties finding open dates to<br />
hold the “battles”. For next year’s<br />
competition they hope to have<br />
Grade 3-4 Winners: L to R From MV Beattie (2 nd ) Ashley Steil,<br />
Sierra Tompkins, Carleigh McCune and Victoria Sirko. From<br />
<strong>North</strong> Shuswap (1 st ), Haillie Tennent and Madeline Wiebe and<br />
from Carlin <strong>School</strong> (3 rd ), Sunny Pickup and Scott Bergseth.<br />
Grade 5-6 Winners: L to R From MV Beattie (2 nd ) Natsha Brand<br />
and Alithia Wales. From Shuswap Middle <strong>School</strong> (1 st ) Beth<br />
Lucier, Xian Chang and Becky Pikkarainen, and from Parkview<br />
(3 rd ), Jenny Halley, Oliver Vogel and Rachel Martens.<br />
Grade 7-8 Winners: L-R From <strong>North</strong> Shuswap <strong>School</strong> (2 nd ) Tory<br />
Lebeau, Julianne McLean Bjerg and Rachel Stone. From MV<br />
Beattie (1 st ), Larissa Tompkins and Vicki Voth and from Carlin<br />
<strong>School</strong> (3 rd ), Brianna Betker, Brandon Osborne and Justin Spencer.
Working together to make a good school district better Page 5<br />
the book list chosen over the next<br />
few weeks so interested teacherlibrarians<br />
can order those books for<br />
their libraries and students can get<br />
started earlier.<br />
The teacher-librarians put a lot of<br />
thought into which books should<br />
be included on the reading list. She<br />
says they take into consideration<br />
student input, quality of the book,<br />
Canadian content, a mixture of<br />
genres, and whether the book is<br />
part of a series.<br />
She says this year two of the Grade<br />
7-8 books, Angel Experiment and<br />
The Hunger Games, were big hits<br />
with the students. “It’s great when<br />
we can choose books the students<br />
really enjoy and then they go on to<br />
read other books in that same genre<br />
or by the same author.”<br />
The organizers are tentatively<br />
planning for school “battles” to be<br />
held just before Spring Break (which<br />
is March 21 - April 1, 2011) and the<br />
district final to be just after the break.<br />
She says they may also look at some<br />
small format changes, including<br />
allowing students to compete as<br />
individuals, if they so choose.
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Okanagan</strong> Shuswap <strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong> Page 6<br />
Cody Davies Memorial Playground cons<br />
T<br />
he grand opening of the Cody Davies Memorial<br />
Playground at Sorrento Elementary <strong>School</strong><br />
on May 8th was not only a very moving tribute to<br />
Cody but a true display of a community coming together<br />
for a good cause.<br />
People from all walks of the community, many<br />
without children at the school, came out to help do<br />
their part to build the over $100,000 play structure<br />
at the school.<br />
Local contractors, businesses, Lions Club and firefighters<br />
were all there to help neighbours, parents<br />
and staff from Sorrento with the big project.<br />
The Sorrento Parent Advisory Council and playground<br />
committee had been diligently working at<br />
fundraising for the playground. Their efforts received<br />
a huge boost when they were selected for a matching<br />
grant by Let Them Be Kids, a program launched<br />
across Canada in 2006 to assist groups trying to build<br />
play structures for children. This grant allowed them<br />
to purchase the structure which will richly serve the<br />
students at the school for many years.<br />
A part of this program is to honour someone in the<br />
community and the group immediately chose Cody<br />
Davies, a former student at the school who went on<br />
to become a volunteer firefighter before being tragically<br />
killed in an industrial accident in 2007 at the<br />
age of 22.
Working together to make a good school district better Page 7<br />
tructed at Sorrento Elementary <strong>School</strong>
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Okanagan</strong> Shuswap <strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong> Page 8<br />
Around the <strong>District</strong><br />
Congratulations!<br />
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Okanagan</strong> Shuswap<br />
<strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong> #<strong>83</strong> would you<br />
to send out congratulations and<br />
best wishes to the employees<br />
who have, or are, retiring this<br />
school year. They include:<br />
√ Fred Cook - grounds - 26 years<br />
√ Noele Cox - CEA - 23 years<br />
√ Nadina Dearing - teacher - 28.5 years<br />
√ Judy Garlick - teacher - 25 years<br />
√ Barb Hagel - CEA) - 23 years<br />
√ Karen Hoover - teacher - 33 years<br />
√ Doreen Huggins - teacher - 36. years<br />
√ Linda Johnson - teacher - 25 years<br />
√ Dawn McDonald - teacher - 33 years<br />
√ Terrance Michell - teacher - 32 years<br />
√ Tom Moen - teacher - 30 years<br />
√ Bonnie Nakazawa - chief custodian<br />
- 37 years<br />
√ Susan Poirier - CEA - 23<br />
years<br />
√ Marian Segreto - teacher - 23 years<br />
√ Doug Stuart - bus driver - 20 years<br />
√ Gordon Waters - music supervisor -<br />
28 years<br />
√ Ray Wedge - Bus Driver - 20 years<br />
√ Lawrence Whitehead - Custodian -<br />
26 years<br />
√ Lorraine Williams - CEA - 18<br />
years<br />
√ Derek Woodhurst - principal - 18.5<br />
years<br />
Leadership!<br />
The Leadership Class at<br />
Pleasant Valley Secondary<br />
raised funds for the “Relay<br />
for Life” which took place in<br />
Vernon <strong>June</strong> 5th & 6th. Nineteen<br />
Leadership students and one<br />
teacher took part in the 24 hr<br />
This Spring the school district held three very successful elementary<br />
cross country running events, at Sicamous, Salmon<br />
Arm and <strong>North</strong> Shuswap. Hundreds of students took part in<br />
each event.<br />
relay. The students raised $1,500<br />
with a penny drive and another<br />
$98 with a pie throwing contest.<br />
BC Math Contest<br />
The top four Pleasant Valley<br />
Secondary students from<br />
the preliminary round of the<br />
British Columbia Secondary<br />
Mathematics contest were<br />
Ma Hong, Taran Main, Reka<br />
Vasarhelyi, and Monika<br />
Zillinger. These students<br />
traveled to UBC <strong>Okanagan</strong><br />
on May 7th to compete in the<br />
regional final round, which was<br />
celebrating its 20th anniversary.<br />
The competition was fierce as<br />
each school sent it’s top math<br />
minds to the competition. PVS<br />
students did very well with Ma<br />
Hong placing 4th while Taran<br />
Main took 6th place. They each<br />
received a book prize.<br />
Picnic & Coinspiracy<br />
<strong>North</strong> Shuswap Elementary is<br />
hosting Silver Creek Elementary<br />
at a Heritage Picnic on <strong>June</strong> 9.<br />
The students from the<br />
two schools are going to be<br />
spending a day taking part in<br />
old time traditional activities,<br />
a presentation by Loretta<br />
Greenough from the Historical<br />
Society, and a “traditional”<br />
picnic lunch.<br />
The lunch provided for students<br />
was a jam or honey sandwich, a<br />
hardboiled egg, an apple and a<br />
cookie.<br />
The purpose of the picnic is twofold<br />
as it will also mark <strong>North</strong><br />
Shuswap passing along the the<br />
“Coinspiracy Coin” which they<br />
received from Carlin last year.<br />
<strong>North</strong> Shuswap Principal Glenn<br />
Overgaard notes they accepted a<br />
“Coinspiracy” coin, along with a<br />
nice wooden bench which they<br />
have in the school library, from<br />
Carlin.<br />
“By accepting the coin, we<br />
agreed to do three kind acts;<br />
one for ourselves, one for the<br />
environment, and one for<br />
someone else. The picnic is our<br />
kind act to both ourselves and
Working together to make a good school district better Page 9<br />
Silver Creek. For the environment, we will be<br />
planting a tree in front of the school in recognition of<br />
the day.” He explained Silver Creek will be taking<br />
the coin to continue with the “Coinspiracy.”<br />
He extended a big thanks to the Lions Club who<br />
prepared all the sandwiches and to the parents<br />
who baked the cookies.<br />
Pennies for Patients<br />
Pennies for Patients, organized by Jannis Delisle’s<br />
grade 1/2 class at <strong>North</strong> Shuswap, raised $140 for<br />
the Lymphoma and Blood Cancer Association.<br />
String Orchestra Performing<br />
The <strong>North</strong> <strong>Okanagan</strong> String Orchestra will be<br />
holding it’s summer concert at the Prestige Inn<br />
Harbourfront on <strong>June</strong> 16th at 7 p.m.<br />
As usual this community/school combined<br />
orchestra will feature a wide variety of “tunes”<br />
including the classics, pop and jazz, comments<br />
conductor Gord Waters, the district’s music<br />
supervisor (who is retiring this year). “There will<br />
also be some great soloists,” he added.<br />
He encourages everyone to come out and hear<br />
this impressive group of local musicians.<br />
M.V. Beattie student Kael Gregson with his grade<br />
7 winning project on Cancer at the school’s recent<br />
science fair. There were over 80 projects in the fair. The<br />
main organizer was teacher Steve Rodwell.<br />
A group of students from A.L. Fortune had the opportunity to tour the mill as well as work at<br />
different stations with tradespeople from Tolko. Students went to electrial, carpentry, machinist,<br />
heavy duty mechanic, and millwright/welding stations. A group of students from A.L. Fortune<br />
also travelled to the B.C. Skills competition to watch local students compete. As part of this trip<br />
they took part in a very informative tour of the Highland Valley Copper Mine in Logan Lake.
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Okanagan</strong> Shuswap <strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong> Page 10<br />
The Pleasant Valley Secondary Dance and Musical Theatre programs presented CUT-TAKE 2<br />
a movie themed evening of dance and song from <strong>June</strong> 2 - 4. The program ran five consecutive<br />
shows to sold out audiences and were given rave reviews by all who were lucky enough to attend.<br />
There were 130 performers in the show ranging from grades 9 through 12 with everyone<br />
gracing the stage at least four times and some as many as ten times. The highlights of the evening<br />
were most certainly the opening and closing numbers. The opening number was a moving<br />
rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody by the musical theatre class and the closing number was the<br />
award winning Twilight piece performed by the Adrenaline Dance Team. All the classes performed<br />
exceptionally with much energy and professionalism throughout every show. The next show<br />
will be in January 2011 – difficult to get tickets to but well worth the effort!
Working together to make a good school district better Page 11<br />
Aboriginal Grad Ceremony<br />
The second annual Aboriginal<br />
Graduation Ceremony held at<br />
A.L. Fortune Secondary <strong>School</strong><br />
on May 26 was a huge success,<br />
comments Irene LaPierre,<br />
district principal of Aboriginal<br />
Education.<br />
“The overall goal of<br />
our <strong>District</strong>’s Aboriginal<br />
Enhancement Agreement is<br />
for Aboriginal student success<br />
and one of our measures is<br />
graduation. Therefore, it seems<br />
fitting that we celebrate our<br />
students’ overall success. The<br />
annual Aboriginal graduation<br />
celebration is a chance for<br />
our district and community<br />
to recognize and honour our<br />
Aboriginal graduates,” she<br />
adds. “Overall, it was a wonderful celebration and enjoyed by all. “<br />
Procession of graduates at Aboriginal ceremony<br />
The celebratory evening began with a traditional drum song followed by a procession of graduates,<br />
an opening prayer by Ethel Thomas and a welcome to the territory by Chief Wayne Christian. Board of<br />
Education Chair Bobbi Johnson, Assistant Superintendent Dave Witt and President of the Metis Association<br />
Eldon Clairmont all gave congratulatory speeches.<br />
Valedictorians from all four high schools (Haley Jackson from A.L. Fortune, Keith Letenre of Eagle River,<br />
Travis Polson of Pleasant Valley, and Aaron Sam of Salmon Arm Secondary) each spoke and this was<br />
followed by a parent address by Glen Jollymour. Gifts and awards (three students from each high school<br />
received awards for academic, cultural/community and social standing) were then presented, and this was<br />
followed by a performance by the First Nations Program Staff Drum Team and a song by Ashley Hendry.<br />
Name the GREEN campaign<br />
It was smiles all around as B.C. Hydro<br />
representative Wayne Cousins signs<br />
over a $5,000 cheque to <strong>North</strong> <strong>Okanagan</strong><br />
Shuswap <strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong> Superintendent<br />
Doug Pearson.<br />
The funds will be used to help implement<br />
a “green” campaign in the school<br />
district. This will include two contests for<br />
students. The first is a Name the Campaign<br />
(slogan) contest which is taking<br />
place right now (information available in<br />
schools) followed by a logo contest to<br />
be held in September.
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Okanagan</strong> Shuswap <strong>School</strong> <strong>District</strong> Page 12<br />
Students taking a moment in Ottawa!<br />
E-Spirit in Ottawa!<br />
A group of students from Pleasant Valley Secondary and Salmon Arm Secondary were part of close to<br />
200 students from across Canada who qualified to take part in the E-Spirit National Aboriginal Business<br />
Plan Competition. They also brought home an award!<br />
Aimed at Aboriginal students in grades 10 to 12, E-Spirit is an Internet-based business plan competition<br />
that features 16 weeks of interactive business planning resources, including online mentorship.<br />
E-Spirit also enables participants to meet and network with other students online and in person during<br />
the trade show, presentation rounds and gala awards at the University of Ottawa, May 10-13.<br />
This year’s event involved 69 teams, 32 schools and 198 Aboriginal students. An independent panel<br />
of experts judged group presentations and business displays that included laptop demonstrations,<br />
product samples, promotional videos, posters and 3D mock-ups.<br />
One local team, called “The V Restaurant”, won top prize for best oral presentation. Students on the<br />
team are Ashley Hendry, Jordan Roy, Ryan Brown and Chelsea Reimer, all of SAS.<br />
Judges commented the presentations inspired them with their “innovative ideas, entrepreneurial spirit<br />
and community commitment. The high quality of their presentations is an indication that they are<br />
determined to make their mark on the business world in the years to come.”<br />
Sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada, E-Spirit is about making a “human capital<br />
investment” that will provide the participant with valuable skills needed for today’s marketplace.<br />
They comment assisting students today, while still in high school, gives them time and the information<br />
they require to make informed choices about their education and career paths. This program is<br />
designed to increase Aboriginal youth participants’ awareness of entrepreneurial/business opportunities,<br />
management/business skills, and e-commerce and technological capacities.