GUELPH – Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) trustees and senior administrators attended their monthly board meeting on Feb. 5.
VIP students
During the meeting three students were recognized for significant contributions to their schools: Arianna Ferrone of St. Francis Asssisi Catholic School; Danni Holton of St. John Catholic School; and Clare Southby of St. Peter Catholic School.
Trustees highlighted how they each stand out as a very important people at their schools and how they go out of their way to support others and demonstrate Catholic values.
A group of each student’s family members and teachers attended the meeting to show their support for the Grade 8 girls.
Student trustee report
Student trustees Jack Zamin and Vivian Huynh presented a report outlining some events and initiatives taking place at WCDSB schools.
Feb. 5 was the first day of the second semester for secondary school students, and the student trustees described some of the ways students prepared for exams over the last few weeks while managing stress.
They shared a video created by the Wellness council at St. James Catholic High School in which students and teachers shared tips for exam readiness.
Dramatic productions
At Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School, the junior drama class put on a production of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and The Chocolate Factory on Jan. 29, Zamin said, and “elementary students from across our board came to see it live.”
The drama students are now preparing to perform Lindsay Price’s Stroke Static during the last week of February.
The performance will be at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School in Cambridge, as part of the National Theatre School of Canada’s Dramafest.
Students at Our Lady of Lourdes are also working towards creating a group focused around mental health and wellness, Huynh said. The group will be led by Cindy Carter of the school’s guidance department.
Director’s report
Director of education Michael Glazier also highlighted recent events and initiatives at WCDSB schools.
The board’s Elementary Sports Association hosted basketball tournaments at each of the secondary schools on Feb. 1 and 2.
“We are grateful for the leadership of our volunteer coaches and conveners who help make this a special day of teamwork and fun for our students,” Glazier said.
Care packages
The Social Justice Club at Holy Trinity Catholic School worked together with Grade 3 and 4 students from St. John Catholic School in Guelph to prepare 150 care packages for homeless people in Guelph.
The packages, distributed by Royal City Mission, included hats and scarves knitted by the St. John’s students, as well as snacks and homemade cards.
Glazier visited the students while they prepared the packages and described how great it felt to see the students knitting and preparing soup.
Mount Forest fire
The director’s report also included discussion of the fire at St. Mary Catholic School in Mount Forest.
“This is really a good news story,” Glazier said, as no one was hurt during the fire, and the board has seen an “outpouring of support from the community.
“Through the support of St. Mary Catholic Church and the Diocese of Hamilton, the congregation at First Baptist Church in Mount Forest, support from the Upper Grand District School Board and County of Wellington, along with support from various businesses, service clubs, and faith communities, we were able to help expedite the return to school and shift our focus to the repair and restoration of our school,” Glazier said.
“We are grateful for the support of our staff and the parent community as we worked through this difficult event.”
The next board meeting is March 4 at 7pm at 255 Speedvale Ave. W.
