Between May 11 to 16, the MPS Grade 7 and 8 Jazz and Concert Bands, led by Karen Lonsdale and organized by Nicole Veitch, travelled to Niagara Falls to participate in the MusicFest Canada Nationals. Both bands worked incredibly hard to earn this opportunity after qualifying last year.

“I have seen their dedication towards music since Grade 3 and I was so excited to give them the opportunity in their graduating year,” said Lonsdale.

The Jazz Band, made up of 21 talented students, performed first and earned a gold standing. During their clinic, they had the opportunity to learn and work with adjudicator Colleen Allen.

Next up was the Concert Band. All 48 students performed flawlessly and also received a gold standing. During their clinic, they had the privilege of working and learning with adjudicator Dr. Gretchen McNamara. The Concert Band also won a gold standing for their sight reading during the clinic.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make this trip possible: the Wescott family, Trillium Lakelands District School Board, Boyd and Cathy Smith, James Murphy, Amy Bridle, Theatre Muskoka, DPB Delivery, and Muskoka Steamships.

Congratulations to all of the students on this outstanding accomplishment!

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An email sent out to parents on March 31 explained that the initiative is aimed at getting 75 per cent of students to attend school 90 per cent of the time. According to the school, weekly attendance has been hovering between 68 per cent and 71 per cent throughout the current school year.

“The principal has initiated a school-wide challenge as an effort to elevate school spirit and bring awareness to the benefits of regularly attending school,” said Carolynne Bull, Manager of Communications Services for Trillium Lakelands District School Board. “This challenge is intended to be a fun-filled way for everyone to get involved.”

According to Bull, the school board has been sharing information directly with families about the positive impact regularly attending school has on student well-being over the last two years. She said that an initiative like this is not uncommon, and schools can choose whether or not they will do something similar to what Macaulay has established.

Based on a survey of the other public schools in the area, Macaulay Public School is the only one that has initiated an attendance-based challenge for this school year. 

Brytnie Minns, whose children attend Macaulay, said that she and other parents are concerned that the program doesn’t tackle the real reason why children are not attending school regularly.

“Perfect attendance programs overall promote unhealthy, rigid standards, often resulting in burnout rather than providing true motivation, meaning the programs actually become demotivating.” said Minns.

“Encouraging attendance regardless of what may be going on outside of school, or when experiencing mental or physical health concerns, can have further negative mental or physical well-being impacts. This can lead to higher levels of burnout or disengagement.”

When asked about whether or not the attendance program will account for explained absences, Bull said that it will.

“The challenge has been designed with averages of all classes combined, and points given for various ranges of attendance,” Bull explained. “It is understood, school-wide, that students may be ill, have appointments, and/or need to miss school for other reasons which will not affect the challenge.”

It’s not just student well-being that parents are worried about, but also bullying and harassment that children may be facing at school. Minns said that parents are already keeping their children home from school due to these concerns, and this program will only cause them to grow.

“Attendance is an individual issue, not a group goal,” Minns said. “Group rewards can cause peer resentment towards individuals who are absent, which can lead to increased bullying and harassment.” 

When asked about the concern that students may not be going to school for more serious reasons, such as bullying, Bull said that principals and teachers will support students where needed.

“TLDSB principals work hard to understand the root cause(s) of why a student does not attend school. If bullying is a factor in regularly attending school, parents/guardians and/or the student are encouraged to contact their teacher or school principal, if they haven’t already done so, to support this student.”

Minns said that while she and other parents understand the thought behind attendance initiatives, it doesn’t change the concerns they have when it comes to the negative effects that come with them. 

“We understand attendance is a problem across Ontario, and that funding is directly related to attendance, but we’ve done research and firmly believe rewarding ‘perfect attendance’ doesn’t address the root cause, is setting our children up for failure, and may actually cause more harm than good.”

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Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) student’s skills were recently put to the test at the Skills Ontario Provincial Competition!

Taking place from May 4 to 5 in Toronto, students who previously qualified at the Board-wide competitions held earlier in the spring represented TLDSB by competing individually and in groups against students from schools across the province.

At the elementary level, four students from Irwin Memorial Public School competed in the team of four construction competition, as well as two teams of two from Huntsville Public School and Riverside Public School in the television and film competition.

At the secondary level, 29 students took part in 24 competitions, including architectural technology and design, auto painting, auto service technology, brick masonry, cabinetmaking, carpentry (individual, team of two, and team of four), floristry, graphic design, hairstyling, heavy equipment, horticulture and landscape, job interview, mechanical CAD, outdoor powered equipment, photography, plumbing, precision machining, prepared speech refrigeration, welding, and workplace safety.

Below are the results from the competitions:

Elementary

• Riverside Public School students Ammon Fuller and Ella Steward won a bronze medal in the team of two television and film competition.

Secondary

• Fenelon Falls Secondary School student Grady Smith won a gold medal in the cabinetmaking competition.
• Huntsville High School student Cayden Hamilton won bronze in the refrigeration competition.

“On behalf of the Board, I can say that we are very happy with our results and look forward to watching Grady compete at the national level,” said Specialist High Skills Major consultant, Steve Spiers. “All of our students represented themselves, their schools, and TLDSB with class. Congratulations to all.”

Smith will advance to the Skills Ontario National Competition held in Toronto on May 28 and 29 as a member of Team Ontario.

Congratulations to all students who competed in the competitions—your hard work showed off!

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On May 5, Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM) students from Huntsville High School (HHS) and Gravenhurst High School participated in a sector-partnered experience at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville.

These SHSM programs are designed to allow Grade 11 and 12 students to specialize in specific career sectors, such as arts and culture, construction, health and wellness, hospitality and tourism. Upon graduation, students receive a SHSM seal and formal recognition on their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).

The day began with an introduction to the Deerhurst team and a presentation from Mark O’Dell, director of team development. O’Dell led an engaging icebreaker that encouraged students to ask questions and to think outside the box.

Following this activity, students explored the resort through guided tours. Department leads from food and beverage, housekeeping, maintenance, and guest services provided behind-the-scenes access to the professional kitchen, laundry facilities, mechanical rooms, and various event spaces. This allowed students to see firsthand how resort operations relate to their specific SHSM sectors.

Their main activity of the day was a practical innovation challenge. Students were tasked with identifying a specific need within the resort, then were given a hypothetical capital budget of $500,000 to develop and pitch a viable solution to resort staff. The resulting pitches were creative, focusing on growth-oriented ideas, including a playground , splash pad, and a small movie theater.

Overall, this hands-on experience provided students with invaluable insights into their SHSM sector.

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Steve Johnson, who was one of the four founding faculty members, said that this celebration will be the first time in 20 years that there has been a gathering of all alumni and staff from the past.

“It’s been a long time,” said Johnson. “I think we were planning a 25th anniversary, but COVID hit and we had to lay off on that for a few years.” 

Johnson said that it has been incredible to see the growth of the school from day one to the present. 

“It’s been pretty amazing to watch, particularly back in the first few years where we started with just grade 9. We had 63 students for the first year, and then we added another 50 or 60 in the second year.”

By the fourth year, when grades 9 through 12 started attending the school, St. Dominic boasted a roster of almost 300 students. Johnson said that the immense increase in size over those years meant they were ready for a new location.

“We were bursting at the seams over in the old industrial mall at the south end of Bracebridge. In 1999, the school board decided to build an actual full-blown school for us to accommodate that growth, and then over time they added a full-sized gymnasium and other aspects of a full school that we have today.”

Despite the rapid growth, St. Dominic remained a close-knit community. Johnson said that he, along with his wife Kristan and close friends Mike and Josée King who made up the rest of the teaching staff, knew every one of the students that walked through the doors each day.

“It was really exciting to be part of that with our first year students because they knew they were part of something special. We knew all the students and they knew all of us well, and it was a great time being part of that early on in the history of St. Dominic.” 

Current enrollment for St. Dominic sits around 160, allowing for very small class sizes and for teachers and students to better connect with one another over the four years that they’re in high school.

Anybody who wishes to attend the celebrations can stop by St. Dominic CSS anytime between 5 and 7 p.m. on May 15. Johnson said that even though it’s a short period of time, people are welcome to bring any mementos they may have.

“Most of the time we’ll spend simply talking with each other, but if people have things that trigger memories, bring them along and we’d be happy to take a look and converse over anything that’s brought up. If we can’t contain those memories in the two hours, we’ll just let it spill later into the evening.”

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V.K. Greer Memorial Public School (VKG) recently celebrated its second annual Hero Spirit Day. This school-wide initiative focused on the core values of heroism, including courage, empathy, commitment, and a dedication to doing what is right.

Throughout the day, local emergency services visited the school to demonstrate their vehicles, and educate students on the vital role they play within the community.

Students were also invited to dress as their favorite real-life or fictional heroes, ranging from family members and sports figures, to firefighters, police officers, and characters like Spider-Man and Ladybug Miraculous.

“This day is centred around what it takes to be a hero. Exposure to these elements in a positive way is key, as often they are there when there’s trouble or negative things going on in one’s life,” explain VKG educational assistant and Spirit Team member, Angela Spano. “The kids loved this special event and took so much from this learning opportunity.”

A huge thank you to our community partners whose participation made this event possible!

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During two sessions this past month, secondary students from Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) participated in the annual Skilled Trades Day for Young Women, hosted by Skills Ontario.

The event, held at the Fleming College Frost Campus, allowed students to rotate through four distinct workshops. These sessions provided hands-on learning and detailed information about several campus programs, such as blasthole drilling, fish hatchery, heavy equipment, and arboriculture.

“This partnership is a great opportunity to introduce young female students to careers in the skilled trades, all while allowing them to get a first-hand look at the college experience and programs available in their own area,” said TLDSB pathways consultant, Ian McTavish.

Students from I.E. Weldon Secondary School and Lindsay Collegiate and Vocational Institute took part in the experience on April 23, and students from Fenelon Falls Secondary School and Haliburton Highlands Secondary School on April 28. Secondary schools in the District Municipality of Muskoka took part in a similar experience at Georgian College in the fall.

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On April 24, the fourth Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) Young Entrepreneurs in Action Showcase took place at the Rene M. Caisse Memorial Theatre at Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School (BMLSS).

In this Dragon’s Den-style event, a panel of community judges evaluated business pitches from 16 participants, consisting of both individual students and teams. All secondary schools in TLDSB were invited to participate. Each presenter had five minutes to pitch their concept to the judges, which included David Cowdery from Launch Kawartha, Will Gibson, president of the Rotary Club of Huntsville, Dani McNelly from Ampere, and Jennifer Thomas, a Royal LePage representative and owner of three Muskoka barbershops.

The judges were actively involved throughout the event, offering students guidance, asking insightful questions, and providing valuable advice. In several instances, judges whose professional background aligned with a student’s pitch encouraged them to connect after the event for further networking.

The event also featured insights from guest speakers, Luke Preston, the regional economic development and grants officer for the District Municipality of Muskoka, and Liam Martin-McTavish, owner and founder of McT Construction. Martin-McTavish shared his journey from starting a business at 15 years old and who now builds homes and cottages in Muskoka.

After deliberation, the winners were announced and all 16 students were collectively awarded a total of $16,000.

First place, and a prize of $3,500, went to Clair Allison and Jolene Alaire from BMLSS for their company Ever Shine. Their winning idea is an anti-tarnish jewelry spray designed to keep inexpensive jewelry looking new.

“It was interesting, we both learned a lot,” said Allison.

“I haven’t felt this good about anything before. We put a lot of hard work into this,” added Alaire, who noted that their first priority is to purchase the necessary supplies to grow their business.

The pair will move on to the Provincial Showcase at the Ontario Skills Competition in Toronto on Tuesday, May 5.

“It was inspiring to see students presenting real world business ideas. They put themselves into a high stress environment and showed incredible poise. In talking to the judges they mentioned struggling to ask questions because a number of students had effectively covered all the details they were looking for,” said TLDSB experiential learning consultant, Ian McTavish.

Congratulations to all the participants for their hard work and innovation.

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On April 21, Riverside Public School welcomed Youth Diversion to host a vaping presentation for students.

Aaron Csele, a youth outreach coordinator at Youth Diversion, led the session, engaging students with a discussion about “the hype, the harm, and the truth” surrounding vaping and smoking. The presentation was attended by Grade 5 and 6 students from schools across Huntsville.

Students actively participated, answering questions about why they think youth might vape and offering suggestions on how to reduce vaping in their schools. They received information on the specific chemicals found in vapes and the serious, long-term health consequences they can cause.

Csele also shared practical strategies for reducing vaping, including setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound (SMART) goals, habit tracking, and replacement, and developing healthy coping skills.

He said the most important thing he hopes students take away from the presentation is to “be aware of what you are putting in your body and be aware of the decisions that you’re making.”

Youth Diversion presentations will continue at other schools across Trillium Lakelands District School Board.

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From April 27 until May 3, Smile Cookies will be available at both Gravenhurst locations for $2 each, with any number of cookies over four being tax free. 

The campaign to help local schools was started by former operator Ashley Hrinkanic in 2022, with owners Paul Stevenson and Tammy Jacklin opting to continue it when they took over in 2023. 

Gravenhurst Tim Hortons raised $22,202 for Muskoka Beechgrove, $19,806 for Gravenhurst Public School, $18,494 for KP Manson, and $18,051 for Glen Orchard. Kristina Brownlee, General Manager for the Gravenhurst locations, said that the last four years have raised way more than was expected for all of the local schools. 

“This is our final year for our local schools being the recipients of the Smile Cookie campaign, so we are looking forward to seeing how much the high school can raise this year!”

GHS guidance counselor Carol Kent said that this year’s campaign is significant because of the connection between GHS students and Tim Hortons.

“It means a lot, especially because a lot of our high school students work at Tim Hortons, whether it be after school jobs, summer jobs, or co-ops. Students will also be volunteering to decorate the Smile Cookies all week, which is really great because of the 40 hour community involvement requirement for graduation.” 

Kent said that because they are unsure of how much money will be raised, the school hasn’t narrowed down what the funds raised will go towards yet, but that they will go towards things that benefit students at GHS. 

“Some of the ideas that have come up are a set of bleachers for the field, the bursary fund, or supporting students who need access to different opportunities within the school that don’t have the funds to support it. Once we know how much money we’re working with, we will be able to determine what is the best use of those funds, because it really varies, but it will be towards supporting student life at GHS.”

According to Kent, GHS has already received pre-orders for more than 30 dozen Smile Cookies. She said the hope is that the same momentum continues into next week when sales officially begin.

“We hope that a lot of past students and past staff support. We’ve reached out to our feeder schools to support us as well because, although we are separate schools, we really do work together and they’re preparing the students to come to GHS, so hopefully they support us. We hope everyone goes out and purchases.” 

To support Gravenhurst High School through the Smile Cookie campaign, visit the Gravenhurst Tim Hortons locations at 150 Talisman Drive and 2329 Highway 11 South from April 27 to May 3.

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