Recent events in HRSB schools
GWPES Wins Video Contest in Japan!
Grosvenor Wentworth Park Elementary School (GWPES) grade five
students Alison Horton, Amanda Wentzell, shown here with teacher
Andrew Stickings recently screened their award winning film 'Pier 21,
Gateway of Hope' at the Panasonic Kid Witness Global Contest in Japan.
The film won two of eight possible awards: the Hometown Documentary
Award and the Global Web Award. Congratulations, GWPES!
To view 'Pier 21, Gateway of Hope,' click here.
Thank you, Fred!
Oxford School would like to thank Fred Connors of FRED Hair Salon,
Art Gallery and Whet Café for his efforts in making a difference in the
lives of some of our junior high girls. Fred worked closely with seven
girls during the school year, offering his salon as a place for meeting
and sharing on a weekly basis. The experience of the FRED group
made all the girls feel special and more confident. Special thanks to
Fred for his generosity, his ability to give of himself personally and
professionally but most importantly his genuine caring spirit and the
way he gives back to the community in which he lives and works.
Outdoor Art at Sambro Elementary
Students at Sambro Elementary admire their school's collaborative art
project, led by local artist Kyle Jackson. Each class contributed to the
wall of art by creating paintings of their community of Sambro. Special
thanks to PAINTS (Visual Arts Nova Scotia) and the NSTU County Local
Curriculum Assistance Development Fund for supporting this project.
Making Rockingstone the Heart of the Community
Halifax Regional Police (HRPD) Supt. Jim Perrin presents plaques to
Rockingstone Heights Principal Debbie Metherall (right) and Vice Principal
Trina Canavan (left) HRPD recognized the administrators for theirhelp in
the community over the years at the 2nd Annual Greystone Youth Day
earlier this week.
To see the certificate, click here.
Welcome, Kirk Arsenault!
The Halifax Regional School Board made educational history on
June 23 with the appointment of Kirk Arsenault as its first Mi'kmaq
representative. Mr. Arsenault was sworn in by Daniel Paul at the regular
board meeting.
Photo (L-R): African Nova Scotian Representative and Board Chair,
Irvine Carvery; Mi'kmaq Representative, Kirk Arsenault; and Justice of the
Peace, Daniel Paul.
For more information, click here.
Chebucto Heights Wins BMO National Student Innovation Award
Congratulations to grade 6 students from Ecole Chebucto Heights School!
They recently received the BMO National Student Innovation Award for
Originality for their venture, 'Worldwide Water,' as part of The Learning
Partnership's Entrepreneurial Adventure Program for 2009/10. The HRSB
is a member of The Learning Partnership and has participated in
Entrepreneurial Adventure for 5 years now.
Congratulations to everyone who participated!
Sackville High Walks for Muscular Dystrophy
Students and staff at Sackville High School recently participated in the
Walk for Muscular Dystrophy. Team Sackville High raised $1043.60 for the
cause. Congratulations to everyone involved!
Michael Wallace Celebrates Health & Wellness From Head to Toe!
Students and staff at Michael Wallace Elementary School recently
celebrated health and wellness at a day-long fair called ‘From Head to
Toe.’ Various local motivational speakers made presentations and led
dance and fitness sessions for students. The purpose of the day was
to encourage all participants to choose to be positive, grateful people
who practice daily activities that promote healthy minds and healthy bodies.
Photo: Danny Godin, ‘The Dance Doctor,’ leads the school in a warm-up
dance session.
John Martin Junior High Thanks Chapters Indigo!
John Martin Junior High (JMJH) will receive a $45,000 grant from Chapter’s
Indigo to purchase books for the school library. Special thanks to Chapters
Indigo for choosing JMJH, and to the team of applicants led by JMJH Vice
Principal Lisa Long who made it happen. The members of her team were:
(L-R) Lisa Long, Sarah Harnish, Kim MacLeod, Dawn MacDougall, Tracy
Hamilton and Kristin Innes.
Building Bridges, Building Friendships
Students from Ocean View Elementary and Nelson Whynder Elementary
are building friendships for the future through a unique project called
'Building Bridges.' Grade 4 and 5 students from each school are getting
to know one another by spending time in one another’s school and
community.
When time comes for the students to head off to Cole Harbour High, they’ll
be old friends and that first day won’t be so scary. These students will be
graduating together in 2017!
The Power of Positive Change
Five HRSB students recently received the Premier’s Power of Positive
Change Award for having a positive impact on their peers, school and
community. Recognized were: Ira Archibald-Faloon, Grade 8 (Oxford
Junior High School), Cassandra DeWolfe, Grade 6 (Lakefront Consolidated
School), Spencer MacKay, Grade 7 (Park West School), Claire Mercer,
Grade 4 (Tantallon Elementary), and Nam Ong, Grade 12 (Citadel High
School).
Pictured above is Cassandra DeWolfe with Premier Darrell Dexter. You can
learn more about the efforts of these outstanding young people, by reading
the government news release.
Congrats to REP Provincial Spelling Bee Winners!
Congratulations to HRSB students who recently participated in the 2010
REP Provincial Spelling BEE! Hosted by the Black Educators Association
(BEA), the purpose of this annual competition is to highlight African Nova
Scotian learners and their accomplishments in language or literacy-based
programs. The competition is open to students aged eight to 15 in schools
across the province.
Photo (L-R): Michael Andrew, Lockview High School (3rd Place Speller);
Jocelyn Dorrington, President, BEA; Oluwatomisin (Tomi) Akinkunmi,
Brookhouse Elementary (2nd Place Speller); and Jack Andrew, Lockview
High School (1st Place Speller).
Lieutenant Governor's Education Medal Recipients
Thirty outstanding grade 11 students in the HRSB received Lieutenant
Governor's Education Medals at an awards ceremony at Musquodoboit
Rural High. Her Honour, The Honourable Mayann E. Francis, O.N.S.,
Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia presented the medals to one female
student and one male student from each high school who has demonstrated
leadership, service and commendable academic performance.
Congratulations to all of the recipients!
Deux langues . . . un monde de possibilités!
Five students from Halifax West gained recognition at the annual
Provincial French Public Speaking Contest at Mount Saint Vincent
University on May 9th.
Photo (L-R): Steven Fullerton won first place in the grade 9/10 late
immersion category and has won a trip to Ottawa with Encounters
Canada in the fall; Lauren Basden took second place in the grade 9/10
Core French category; Mariam Zaky took second place in the 11/12 Core
French category; Ilva Caushi won first place in the 11/12 late immersion
category and will attend the national competition on May 29, as well as
Henry Annan, who placed first in the 11/12 Core French category.
We wish Ilva and Henry all the best at nationals!
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow!
Ten brave students from Bedford South School recently allowed teachers
to shave their heads as part of the 'Hair for Heroes' campaign. The event
raised money for The Daniel McLellan Memorial Fund, which supports
children suffering with Leukemia. These ten students raised $1200 dollars
to support this charity!
Speech & Hearing Awareness in HRSB
May is Speech and Hearing Awareness Month in Canada. Speech-
Language Pathologists (S-LPs) throughout the HRSB are raising
awareness about speech, language and hearing disorders in schools
and promoting healthy communication skills with students.
Photo: S-LP Renena Joy works with students at Harbour View Elementary
School on listening and language skills.
Understanding...Pass it On!
Grade 2 student Sarah Conway recently presented staff and students
at William King Elementary School with a blue and white bracelet that she
designed to mark Hearing and Speech Month.
Sarah was asked by the Society of the Deaf and Hearing Loss to design
a bracelet to show support for people with hearing loss. Sarah was born
with a hearing impairment. Each bracelet reads: ‘Understanding… Pass it On.’
Photo: (L-R) Kerry Clancy, Sarah Conway, Susan Latham.
Opportunities Showcase: Celebrating Student Successes!
On Thursday, May 27, the Provincial Options and Opportunities (O2)
Showcase Event was held at the Holiday Inn Dartmouth. Students,
teachers and employers who have participated in this year’s program
shared their stories and experiences.
O2 is a high school program that offers students more hands-on learning
experiences with a career focus. It's designed to prepare students for
successful transitions from high school to work, a career path, or a
post-secondary program.
For more information on the O2 program, click here.
Four Schools, One Goal
On behalf of students at CP Allen, Citadel, Sackville and Halifax West
High Schools, CPA student council members Cora Leigh MacDonald and
Anna Campbell recently presented Stephen Lewis with a cheque for
more than $10,000, to help support his AIDS work in Africa.
Students from these four high schools raised the money in various
ways, including a combined school and a number of different Red
Week activities.
Lewis accepted the cheque at Citadel High School and spent an afternoon
speaking with Grade 12 students about his work in Africa.
Strings in Space
Halifax All City Music held its Strings in Space concert at the Forum on
May 13. This concert featured more than 800 string students from grades
3 to12.
All of the pieces performed were space-themed, including ‘Twinkle
Twinkle Little Star,’ ‘the Star Wars Theme,’ ‘Au Claire de la Lune,’ ‘Jupiter’
(from The Planets) and many more. The finale was the Welsh lullaby, ‘All
through the Night,’ featuring all 800 performers.
Lockview Band Takes Gold!
Congratulations to members of the Lockview High School Band who
recently won a number of awards (including 2 gold and 1 silver) at the
Heritage International Music Festival in New York City! The Senior Concert
Band also received the Heritage Music Festival Adjudicators Award for
the Most Outstanding Concert Band Performance.
More than 1500 students from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Boston,
California, Texas, New York, Florida, Virginia, Alberta and Nova Scotia
participated in the event.
Cash for Safe Grad
The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) presented an $18,000 cheque
to the Halifax Regional School Board at a ceremony at JL Ilsley High
School this week. The donation will provide a significant financial boost
to Safe Grad events for high school students this June.
Proceeds from the Operation Red Nose Campaign were matched by
IBC to make up the $18,000 donation. Thanks to all Operation Red Nose
volunteers and to IBC for contributing to safer graduation celebrations
in HRSB this year!
Herring Cove Jr. High visits D.C.
Herring Cove Junior High students recently capped off a four month
extra curricular human rights study program by traveling to Washington.
They stood at the same spot where Martin Luther King delivered his
“I Have a Dream” speech, learned about the American Republic on
Capitol Hill and toured the perimeter of the White House. Students also
visited various museums and memorials including the Korean Memorial
and the Holocaust Museum.
East St. Margaret's Thanks Volunteers
Halifax Regional School Board Chair Irvine Carvery recently attended
a special lunch at East St. Margaret's Elementary School to recognize
and thank community members who volunteer with the school's nutrition
programs. Mr. Carvery took time to talk about the importance of
volunteering with East St. Margaret's students.
Thanks to all of our volunteers who give of their time in our schools!
Photo credit: Province of Nova Scotia
Inglis Street School Dares to Dance
Students at Inglis Street Elementary School put their best foot forward
as they participated in a Dare to Dance event as part of International
Dance Day on April 29. Students and teachers demonstrated and
participated in break dancing, cha cha, jive, line and salsa dancing.
Oxen till St. Catherine's Garden
To help students at St. Catherine’s Elementary School prepare for
planting season, a team of oxen led by team master Clarey Hazel recently
ploughed the school’s community garden. The garden, which is about 8
years old, has become an integral part of the school’s science program
and health promoting school initiatives.
Parents and students maintain the garden throughout the summer months
and the school harvests the produce in the fall. Everything that is harvested
is incorporated into the school’s nutrition programs and any waste is then
turned into compost and returned to the garden.
A Healthy Start at Millwood
Students at Millwood High recently had the opportunity to sample some
exotic fruit before class. The fruit buffet, donated in part by Pete's
Frootique, was a promotion for the school’s breakfast program that takes
place three days a week.
Special thanks to Pete's Frootique, Breakfast for Learning and HRSB’s
Our Healthy Schools program for supporting health promoting school
initiatives!
Park West Welcomes New Canadians
Students and staff at Park West School recently hosted a citizenship
ceremony where a group of 50 people were sworn in as Canadian
citizens. Two Park West families were among that group.
Holding this ceremony at Park West gave students the opportunity to
understand how the process works, what it means to be Canadian and
what people go through to become Canadian. Students helped to welcome
the new citizens by singing in the choir and handing out Canadian flags.
Dartmouth High SAVEs
To mark Earth Day, students at Dartmouth High launched a new student-led
energy conservation initiative called SAVE (Schools Appreciating Valuable
Energy). With the help of Nova Scotia Power, the school will measure its
energy consumption in Kilowatt Hours (KWh) over a two year period.
The goal is to reduce its annual power bill by about $65,000. At the end of
the two years, the HRSB will return 50% of the money saved to Dartmouth
High to spend as the school wishes.
Literacy Week at Lakeview
The Honourable Mayann E. Francis, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia
visited Lakeview Elementary this week to read to students as part of the
school's Literacy Week 2010 celebrations. Various writers and community
members visited the school throughout the week.
Destination: Knoxville, Tennessee!
Destination ImagiNation is an exhilarating afterschool activity in which
students work in teams to solve mind-bending challenges and present
their solutions at tournaments. Destination ImagiNation also helps
students develop 21st century skills such as creativity, teamwork and
problem solving.
The Halifax Regional School Board hosted its first tournament on
Saturday, April 17. Fifteen teams competed to represent the board at the
Global tournament. Congratulations go out to all students and especially
to the “You’re Gonna Flip” team and the “Breaking DI’ News” team from
Georges P. Vanier School who will be competing at the Global tournament
in Knoxville, Tennessee in May.
We would also like to thank our sponsors for their generous support.
Children's Author Posts Nelson Whynder Art
A study of children’s author Barbara Reid turned into an art project for
grade 3 students at Nelson Whynder Elementary School. Using modeling
clay, students re-created illustrations from two of Reid's books: 'Have
You Seen Birds?' and 'The New Baby Calf.' After the students shared
their artwork with Reid, the author published photos of the pieces on her
website! To see that site, click here.
Halifax Sci-Tech Expo 2010
Medals of Excellence were presented to 20 students for outstanding
application and understanding of science recently at the Halifax Sci-Tech
Expo 2010. Of these students, six will proceed to the Canada-Wide
Science Fair 2010 in Peterborough, Ontario. They are: Ryan Garland,
grade 11, Millwood High; Brandon Holland, grade 11, Millwood High;
Laura Rigg, grade 9, Ellenvale Junior High; Rosa Poirier-McKiggan,
grade 9, Ellenvale Junior High; Briony Merritt, 9, Oxford St. School;
& Adrian Howie, grade 11, Citadel High. Good luck to all of you!
Congratulations to all of this year's participants!
Celebrate Food: From Field to Table
Breakfast for Learning Nova Scotia and Halifax Regional School Board’s
Our Healthy School Program recently held a celebratory breakfast at
Dartmouth High School to recognize students and staff who support the
school’s health promoting school initiatives, including the Breakfast Club.
By ensuring the entire school community has the opportunity to begin the
day with a nutritious, well-balanced meal, the Dartmouth High Breakfast
Club is helping to feed student success.
HRSB Honours Long-Term Employees
Employees achieving long service milestones with the Halifax Regional
School Board were recently honoured at a reception hosted by
Superintendent Carole Olsen (center). The Superintendent recognized
144 milestone recipients for 25, 30, 35, 40 and yes, 45 years of service!
Two of the longest serving employees are: Anne Marie Perry (left),
secretary at Duncan MacMillan High School and Donna Laybolt (right),
secretary at Eastern Shore District High. Anne Marie is a 45 year recipient
and Donna is a 40 year recipient.
Congratulations and thanks to all of this year's recipients!
Team St. Agnes wins African Heritage Month Youth Quiz
Congratulations to St. Agnes for winning this year's African Heritage
Month Youth Quiz sponsored by Halifax Public Libraries! St. Agnes won
a narrow victory over Team Sir Robert Borden in the final round.
L-R: Tracy Jones-Grant, Judge; Darcelle Adams, Student Support Worker
& Coach; Quintin Zawislak, Student; Tracey Williams, Moderator; Jayden
Nordin, Student; Jasmine Sparks, Student; Fotini Koskolos, Student;
& Juanita Peters, Judge.
Congratulations to everyone who participated in the event
Pennies for books at Harrietsfield Elementary
Harrietsfield Elementary recently held a penny drive to buy books for the
school's library. Students raised and rolled approximately $1600.00.
That's 160,000 pennies!
CP Allen Cheetahs capture provincial title
Congratulations to the Charles P. Allen Cheetahs boys hockey team for
capturing the provincial title on Sunday, March 28th. The Cheetahs
defeated Memorial for their first provincial banner since 1992.
Grosvenor Wentworth Park wins National Video Competition
Congratulations to grade 5 students in Mr. Stickings' class at Grosvenor
Wentworth Park School, winners of the national 'Racism. Stop It!' video
competition for the second time in three years! Students recently accepted
the award in Ottawa.
To view the winning video titled 'Alone,' click here.
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