IN THIS ISSUE

Earth Day Events Abound This Week Top

With Earth Day on Thursday, April 22, HWDSB students will be at various eco-related events this week. Earth Day Hamilton-Burlington co-ordinator Laurel Harrison notes that they offer great strides for becoming more aware of our environment.

“Students become educated and empowered by learning how they can take the steps needed to improve the environment,” she said. “They experience nature first-hand – many of them for the first time. We cannot expect the future generation to want to protect what it doesn’t know.”

Linden Park Environment Film Festival (April 20-22 at Linden Park) A packed few days with music, movies and speakers, all of it aimed at raising environmental consciousness.

ECO Film and Arts Festival Students Bridging Borders is hosting the third annual ECO Film and Arts Festival at Westdale secondary from April 13-23. They are screening seven films and are especially excited to have directors from two films attending our event, with open-mic Q&A sessions.

Tim Hortons Earth Day Eco-Festival (9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 19, 20, 21 at Royal Botanical Gardens) About 3,000 elementary students participate in a full day of workshops, guided nature hikes, live wildlife presentations and more in a multi-day event. Event is full.

Instant Forest (8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 22 at Churchill Park in Westdale) HWDSB students will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of international Earth Day by planting 1,000 trees. Students will be united as they wear clothing signifying Earth Day’s meaning, not their school colours. Register by email.

Tim Hortons Earth Day Walk (8:45 a.m. registration, 10 a.m. kickoff on Saturday, April 24 from Bayfront Park to Churchill Park) This 5km Earth Walk and Fun Run in support of environmental education ends at the Earth Day Tree Planting Festival with food, entertainment, exhibits and more. Fundraisers over $35 get an Earth Day T-shirt and light lunch. No minimum amount to participate. Free shuttle back to Bayfront.

Earth Day Tree Planting Festival (11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday April 24, 2010 at Churchill Park, Westdale) Free community event with 1,000 trees to plant, exhibitors, guided nature walks, live birds of prey presentation, aviary, live music with Melissa Bel, Kim and Frank Koren, drum circle, tai chi clinic, horse and wagon rides into Westdale Village and more. Free shuttle from Bayfront Park.

Roma Event Draws up to 1,000 Attendees Top

HWDSB’s Equity Department was amazed by the turnout at an April 8 cultural celebration to mark International Day of the Roma.

The event – with music, food, dancing, speaking and more – attracted an estimated 1,000 Roma visitors from Hamilton and across the GTA. It was organized jointly by HWDSB, Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board and the Settlement and Integration Services Organization of Hamilton, which runs the Globe Youth Centre (23 Main St. W.)

“We have been hearing from schools receiving more Roma students,” explained Lidija Biro, an equity and English as a Second Language consultant. Schools had concerns about student attendance, behaviour, the challenge of contacting Roma parents and more. “The challenge is that many parents arrive here after having had a negative school experience, and that transfers to their children.”

HWDSB is seeking to understand and support Roma people who have come to Canada since 2007, by hosting professional development sessions, guest speakers and now a cultural event. After the fall of Communism and easing of visa requirement for Czech citizens, Canada saw a wave of Roma arrive. Visas were re-imposed in July; Canada often disputes the refugee claims of Roma fleeing racism in Eastern Europe, Biro explains.

To help Roma become more comfortable in a school setting, the Roma day event turned to community volunteers who have been visiting area schools, as well as a SISO school settlement worker of Czech-Roma heritage. Toronto has a Roma Community Centre, which Hamilton lacks, Biro adds. “This was really about helping them celebrate.”

HWDSB Teachers Lead Team Canada for Floorball Worlds Top

Credit: Eric Schoenfeld/FloorballPro.com

Two HWDSB teachers have been named to the staff of the men’s under-19 Team Canada floorball squad that will head to the 2011 world floorball championships in Germany.

Sherwood teacher Anthony Herrington and Sir Winston Churchill teacher Dave Soules are part of the HWDSB Hockey Canada Skills Academies, one of the beneficiaries of the fast-paced European sport that helps develop the skills required in ice hockey.

“I am very excited to coach the U-19 Team Canada again,” Herrington said. “We hope to build from our experience in Finland last year as we have a good number of returning players that are eligible to play in the tournament again. We learned how to play like the Europeans, but we still plan on playing with our Canadian hockey passion. Or, as one coach said to us, ‘we like your fighting spirit!’”

Floorball is a low-cost type of indoor hockey easy to confuse with floor or ball hockey. But the sticks are extremely light; the ball is like a whiffle ball; and the rink, usually 40 by 20 metres, fits well in community centres and school gyms.

Herrington coached the Team Canada squad that went to Finland in 2009, the first ever U19 Canadian team. “The reason that Anthony was a logical choice for coach was obviously his hockey credentials, but 13 of the players on that (2009) team were from Sherwood secondary,” explained Juha Mikkola, general manager of the U19 national program. “He played a huge role in recruiting players to make that team happen.”

Floorball took centre stage in February with the elementary finals. This year’s tournament saw 32 HWDSB elementary teams, up from 20 last year. Then, Saltfleet hosted an international game between Canada and the US. Current Sherwood students on Team Canada include forwards Joel Inouye and Andrew Radjenovic.

Mikkola said Soules was an obvious pick due to the growth of floorball at Churchill, and the leadership role he has had in growing the sport. Mikkola hopes Churchill will produce national-team players, adding, “the future is bright.”

“I am really excited to be a part of Team Canada because of the opportunities it provides for my students and for me as a teacher and coach. What a privilege for students in HWDSB to compete internationally and represent Canada in the world championships!” Soules said.

Westmount Team Wins Business Contest Top

A trio of Westmount students won first place at this year’s McMaster University High School Business Heroes Competition sponsored by the DeGroote School of Business.

Janit Chawla, Traci Hetherington and Dave Park made the grade on March 27 after they were presented with a business scenario: “How can financial institutions get young adults to invest/save more?” They had to develop a viable marketing plan.

Facing tight timelines, the trio attended McMaster seminars, met with their mentor and worked through March Break. They were up against 30 teams, and made it to the top five. Then came the presentation of their plan to a panel that included the Dean of Business, professors and industry professionals. The Grade 12 students received some help from a mentor in second-year Commerce, Igor Knezic, as well as Westmount business teacher Mirella Scarcelli.

Judges – among them a director for Investors Group, a web and marketing developer, and business experts from McMaster – were impressed with their maturity, professionalism and business sense, so awarded them first place and $1,000 in winnings.

“I really enjoyed preparing for the competition. HSBH is a great way to increase your network and I would recommend it to anyone interested in business,” Chawla said. “The High School Business Heroes competition was an amazing experience that allowed me to use my knowledge within a professional atmosphere. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it!” Hetherington said.

Schools Represent HWDSB at Programming Contest Top

Leen Magarbeh and Jane Li (L-R, seated) are on the all-female Sherwood squad making its way in computer programming contests.

Computer programming is often a male-dominated affair. But an all-female Sherwood squad is joining the competition, and finding their way in the growing world of information technology.

“It’s one of the fastest-growing fields out there when everyone else is in recession,” says Daphne French, who is the IT contact and a teacher of computer science and engineering at the east Mountain school. “So you want to get people out there, and make sure girls are there too.”

After teaching them in Grade 9 business, Jane Li and Leen Magarbeh went on to take French’s Grade 11 and Grade 12 computer programming courses. “Not only did they complete the entire curriculum and do an amazing job, they did a special project for a teacher at the school as well,” French said of the program they designed to randomize the order of students taking guitar tests.

Li and Magarbeh were on hand last month as HWDSB’s Information Technology team hosted the 2010 Educational Computing Organization of Ontario computer programming contest for HWDSB secondary students. They tackled tricky problems and tried to solve each one within three hours using any general-purpose programming language.

Westmount, Waterdown, Orchard Park, Ancaster and the Sherwood girls will head to the Central Regional Contest (Saturday, April 24 at York University’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering.) Boards are allowed to send an all-female squad to encourage female participation.

“When you look at who they are up against – some of these Toronto collegiate schools where students don’t start programming in Grade 11, but in Grade 4 – it’s not a big deal if they don’t win,” French said. “They’ve only got a couple years under their belt, so what they have accomplished is impressive. They are really bright kids.”

WDHS Students Celebrate Fashion with a Cause Top

Two talented students at Waterdown District High School pulled off a night of creativity for a great cause last month, when they designed and choreographed a fashion show to benefit the Flamborough Women’s Resource Centre in Waterdown.

Grade 12 students Stephanie Rotz and Carlie Woodworth used 50 student models and 65 outfits designed by students and area retailers for the fast-paced evening highlighted by student music and theatre. Part of the proceeds ($1,500) went to the FWRC to support a new art therapy program for teens and women recovering from sexual assault and abuse.

We were inspired by the show we saw in Grade 9,” said Woodworth. Each year, art teacher Sharon Noble-Hudson lets students select the cause that the fashion show will benefit. “If you tell people in our community that a girl can make a dress in a night, not many people know that. That was another reason we wanted to have the show,” Rotz added.

Both students have been able to advise and shape the art therapy concept, and are proud to be able to improve the lives of women. They did it with a night of self-expression, using the creative storyline of “Once Upon A Nightmare.”

The Flamborough Women’s Resource Centre, a program of Interval House of Hamilton, provides services such as information and referrals, counselling, legal advocacy and support, women’s groups, transitional support for abuse, employment counselling, and peer support.

Home and School Awards Recognize Citizenship Top

They demonstrated leadership, congeniality and a willingness to serve the community; they had a respectful attitude toward classmates and teachers, and they were involved in extracurricular and community activities.

Facing nominees from across Ontario, three HWDSB students recently won the Ontario Federation of Home and School Association’s 2010 Citizenship Awards. Here are some names to watch.

Nadin Shahein, in Grade 6 at Adelaide Hoodless elementary, is a member of her school’s Me to We group, plays basketball and volleyball and helps collect clothing, footwear, hats and mitts for children who need them. She volunteers with her church, and is known for supervising snack time for younger students. “Nadin is an outstanding role model at Adelaide Hoodless,” vice-principal Mary Finstad wrote in support of Nadin’s nomination.

Also at Adelaide Hoodless, Grade 8 student Craig Nugent is involved in Me to We, raising funds for individuals, families and communities in need. This year, it helped a family celebrate Christmas, and also sent help to Haiti. He became a trained volunteer at Queen’s Garden Nursing Home and City Kidz. Teacher David Resijan praised Craig as “a very hard-working, trustworthy and responsible student.”

The third winner was Grade 12 Westdale secondary student Jiashu Zheng, who possesses a long list of extra-curricular roles, including math tutor, band and choir member, fundraiser, hip hop dancer, Principal’s Book Club member and much more. She has Emergency First Aid, took the Focus on Youth leadership program, helps with Mandarin camp and a reading program for young immigrants, volunteers with Hamilton’s SISO and more. “Jiashu Zheng is the type of student that any school would dream of having in the school community,” said Westdale principal Em Del Sordo.

Hill Park Teacher Has Lots of Heart, but Less Hair Top

By Jillian Baker, Grade 12 student, Hill Park

Nothing brings a school together like a common enemy, or so says Kevin Robinson, a well-known Hill Park science teacher and coach who agreed to sport a pink mohawk if the school could raise $2,000 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

Hill Park was among the high schools participating in this year’s Hoops for Heart campaign, managing to raise an astounding $3,500 for the cause. Thanks to the combined efforts of teachers and students, Hill Park set a record and surpassed last year’s highest Board-wide donation by more than $1,000. (The effort was headed up by teacher Linda Evans and her Grade 12 leadership class.)

Success comes with perks of course. Students had the added extra motivation of Robinson’s promise, after all. An interesting haircut was waiting for one of their much-beloved teachers.

On April 6, lunch hour arrived like on any normal day, it would seem. But then came the public shaving and dying of Robinson’s temporarily bleached locks. Among the barbers were the contributors with the highest individual donations, including Grade 12 student Naomi Downer, who single-handedly raised more than $500 in the campaign.

And so, as the rest of Hamilton is stowing away their pink Easter eggs until next year, at one school a little Easter cheer remains… even if it is atop a teacher’s head.

Healthcare Students Land Hospital Jobs Top

You may have read here in recent months about the certification of 18 students from nine schools in the school-to-work Healthcare Support Services Program. Well, there’s more great news from the program that uses Chedoke Hospital as a classroom and co-op placements at local hospitals.

Teacher Teresa Anziano reports that Hamilton Health Sciences – which runs the program in partnership with HWDSB – has hired three students from the program. They made the grade after applying for the 32 positions posted, along with about 1,500 other applicants.

HHS has hired Brittany Griffin (Hill Park), Brittany McAloney (Sherwood) and Nadia Niamat (Hill Park). Anziano said the trio demonstrated their skills and work ethic in nine-week placements at HHS hospitals, and impressed coaches, managers and site leaders who became their advocates.

“The teachers, guidance counsellors, co-op teachers and administrators who directed their students to this program should be commended for opening doors that would otherwise never have been possible for them,” Anziano said. “I am so proud of these students and everything they have accomplished.”

Hill Park student Nadia Niamat, who has started work at Henderson Hospital, said the healthcare support service program was great because it gave her almost three months of experience in the hospital setting.

“It looked great on my resume that I already had volunteer experience doing a job that I wanted to apply for. Also the opportunity was unbelievable because I was able to basically get an all-access pass to the hospital. I was all over the hospital and was able to see things first-hand and getting to see all the staff working hard which really was amazing.”

Virtual Views featuring Trustee Judith Bishop, Wards 1 and 2 Top

I became a trustee in 1988 because trustees are the only elected officials that speak for children’s issues.

The recent series of articles called Code Red in the Hamilton Spectator show how deep the problems are in the inner city. There are health issues as well as rates of attendance, dropping out and achievement that are a great deal worse than elsewhere.

Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board has long identified high-needs schools, and provided them with additional resources, staffing and staff development. In addition, these schools use any partnerships and donations they can find.

The Best Start urban pilot has brought welcome resources and community planning for young families and the work of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction has resulted in additional support for schools and neighbourhoods. All these initiatives have brought some gains in student achievement but not the large increases needed to reach provincial standards.

But as Jean Anyon says, “Attempting to fix inner-city schools without fixing the city in which they are embedded is like trying to clean the air on one side of a screen door.”

So what is needed? For poverty to be properly addressed by governments; for a national child care system to provide early learning and care; for a strategic Hamilton children’s plan to address in a coordinated manner areas of health, recreation, neighbourhood planning and entry into the workforce; and for a community-wide approach to strengthen life-long learning and to improve access to employment.

I sit on the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction, the Best Start Network, the Hamilton Aboriginal Education Council, the Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council, and the Jobs Prosperity Collaborative. I will continue to use these tables as ways of bringing forward a children’s agenda.

Together Hamilton can make this the best place to raise a child.

But there is a long way to go.

Judith Bishop
Trustee, Wards 1 and 2