Please see some recent media stories, featuring HWDSB students, staff, schools, and more.
Annual Potpourri awards honour Hamilton high school grads
Local graduates honoured for academic excellence and community service.
By Fallon Hewitt – October 26, 2023
Sixteen Hamilton students were recognized for their academic excellence and community service at the 27th annual African Caribbean Cultural Potpourri Inc. (ACCPI) youth scholarship banquet this weekend.
ACCPI, a non-profit organization focused primarily on empowering youth with African and Caribbean heritage, was founded in 1986 by Eleanor Rodney, a teacher in the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board.
Since 1996, the awards — worth between $1,500 to $3,000 each — have honoured exemplary high school graduates at college or university.
Dundas Valley cross-country novices run right over rest of province
First OFSAA cross-country team title for Hamilton since 2009, Steve Milton writes
By Steve Milton – November 7, 2023
The novice boys team from Dundas Valley Secondary School blew by the rest of the competition to win the Ontario high school cross-country title in Toronto over the weekend.
Owen Craddock (fourth overall), Jackson Ortwein (seventh), Jakob Peshko (15th), Fynn Gibson (35th) and Noah Weingartner (74th) dominated the field to give Hamilton its first Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) cross-country team title since 2009 — when Highland and Westdale swept the two junior categories.
Students across Hamilton take part in Climate Day of Action
By Samantha Lawson – November 16, 2023
Teens from more than a dozen schools in Hamilton took their concerns to the streets on Thursday to raise their voices and concerns about the effects of climate change.
This was the first official “Climate Day of Action” for the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board, where students marched out of their classrooms to raise awareness about the climate emergency.
There were 13 schools in the Hamilton-Wentworth district that joined the walk out with the student-led initiative being approved by the board.
For many of the high schoolers, this summers’ wildfires were a wake up call.
Hamilton school board plan commits to truth and reconciliation
A commitment to truth and reconciliation through ‘respectful and reciprocal relationships’ with Indigenous peoples is now officially one of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board’s top five priorities.
By Richard Leitner – October 13, 2023
A commitment to truth and reconciliation through “respectful and reciprocal relationships” with Indigenous peoples is now officially one of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board’s top five priorities.
A new five-year strategic plan, greeted with a standing ovation from senior administrators after being unanimously approved by trustees earlier this month, sets an overarching vision of “Growing Together.”
“Every student experiences a sense of belonging and engages in dynamic learning to reach their potential and build their own future,” the plan’s mission statement proclaims before listing four values, each defined and incorporated into another statement. “Our values of Compassion, Dignity, Trust and Joy guide our daily work and ensure that we honour the unique identities and needs of all.”
With the help of three consulting firms, trustees on the board’s governance committee began working on the plan in the spring and then met over the summer to fine-tune an initial draft and its five new strategic directions.