Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Outstanding NNDSB students recognized at Board meeting

At last night’s meeting of Near North District School Board (NNDSB), trustees heard the first of what will be a series of presentations that recognize students who go “above and beyond”.

The Board will welcome students and members of school communities who embody the board’s strategic commitments established within the Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP). Invited guests will explain how their actions exemplify the MYSP pillars of Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Excellence in Innovation, Excellence in Relationships and Excellence in Communication.

By hearing presentations, the Board of Trustees will be able to recognize students and support the entrenchment of the board’s MYSP priorities within school communities.

Board Chair Jay Aspin said, “It is significant that our Board of Trustees recognize outstanding students and members of the school community that go ‘above and beyond’ to fulfill the commitments set out in our strategic plan.”

The first of the presentations acknowledged the work of students Madison Moore of Chippewa Secondary School and Fionna Truong of West Ferris Secondary School. The pair was recently honoured by the Rotary Club of North Bay as recipients of the 2022 Service Above Self award. The award criteria include how students demonstrate warmth and caring towards peers or others. The Rotary Club’s student awards program is intended to promote the values of the club’s motto, Service Above Self, and ensure students know of the benefits of volunteerism.

Madison Moore was recognized at the Board for embodying Excellence in Relationships. A Grade 12 student, Madison has accumulated almost 400 volunteer hours since 2018. She is an athlete who recognizes the value of dedication and teamwork. Most of her volunteer hours were acquired in the sport of hockey and at tournaments such as the boys’ OFSAA tournament.

Fionna Truong is a Grade 11 student in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) program. She was recognized by the Board for illustrating Excellence in Innovation because of being an integral part of the robotics world in North Bay. She has been a team captain for FIRST Robotics, a build captain for Team 1305 and volunteers as a mentor with FLL (Lego) team at West Ferris. She has also worked with other student on a UV Cube Development Project that addressed the healthcare challenge of sterilizing personal protective equipment. Fionna is a team member working on a business plan to move the project into the production phase.

“These two students are shining examples that permit us to realize that commitment and I am very pleased our Board of Trustees has formally recognized their accomplishments,” said Chair Aspin.

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For more information, please contact:

Deb Bartlett
Communications Officer
Near North District School Board
P. (705) 472-8170, extension 5010
E. Deb.Bartlett@nearnorthschools.ca

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Student project aims to use education to eradicate racism

Spearheaded by two Grade 11 students, a mural being unveiled at Chippewa Secondary School commemorates Black history and the power of education to eradicate racism.

The project was designed and coordinated by Rainat Salako and Omobola Agboola as their Creativity, Activity Service (CAS) project in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

Rainat says, “This project began because I wanted to think of a way to bring cultural awareness to the school. As a student of colour, I felt as if I was not being represented in the art around me. I wanted to change that and help others feel welcomed and acknowledged at our school. I believe this project will help to accomplish that.”

“I wanted to do this project because I believed that our school needed some more representation from the Black community, not just during Black History Month but also throughout the year and the years to come. I believe this mural is a great way to leave a legacy and to give a friendly reminder to people about the Black community, not just once a year but every day,” says Omobola.

She and Rainat said the project had a few challenges, which were overcome with support from their project sponsor, staff and students.

The project came to fruition with the help of Ashley Oszytko, an intermediate art teacher at Chippewa who took the lead on supporting the students. Oszytko says,
“Representation in our schools is so important and this mural will be a reminder that all Chippewa students are beautiful, strong, and important. We embrace different cultures, races, genders, and beliefs here at Chippewa, and the raised clenched fist will now be a permanent reminder that anti-racism begins here in the hallways of our schools.”

Stephanie Silverthorn, the IB CAS coordinator, helped the girls develop their idea, coordinate the logistics of sourcing materials and arranging working sessions with volunteers. She says, “The purpose of the CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) project is to enable students to work collaboratively in a leadership capacity to enact positive change. Rainat and Omobola have done a beautiful job of identifying a concept that is of importance both to them individually and to our school community as a whole. Their vision and teamwork have resulted in a powerful piece of art that will have a lasting impact on the students and staff within our building. I am so proud of them.”

Chippewa’s principal, Krista Tucker Petrick, is grateful for the legacy created by Rainat and Omobola. “They generously shared their vision to showcase Black brilliance during Black History month and to ensure that there was artwork in the school that reflected African, Caribbean and Black identifying students. The dedication of Omobola and Rainat is evident in the wonderful mural that has been created and will be hung in the halls of the school. Staff here are appreciative of the effort and care that went into the organization and painting of the artwork and the daily information that was shared by these students on the announcements during February.

“I am grateful to Rainat and Omobola for being such amazing leaders in the school. I would also like to express my thanks to Dr. Julius Agboola for sponsoring the mural,” says Tucker Petrick.

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For more information, please contact:

Deb Bartlett
Communications Officer
Near North District School Board
P. (705) 472-8170, extension 5010
E. Deb.Bartlett@nearnorthschools.ca

Friday, March 11, 2022

Survey will measure MYSP implementation status

Near North District School Board’s (NNDSB) Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) committee is seeking survey responses to measure the implementation status of the 2021- 2026 MYSP. The five-year plan was approved by the Board in June 2021 and implementation began in September 2021.

The MYSP was developed after extensive consultation with a variety of stakeholder groups, which identified key priorities for the board. Now that the plan has been operationalized for several months, the committee is keen to measure both status and progress. The metrics for measurement are aligned closely to the MYSP goals.

The MYSP committee, chaired by Trustee Bill Steer, has developed metrics for each of the four pillars of the MYSP (excellence in teaching and learning, excellence in innovation, excellence in relationships and excellence in communication).

Committee Chair Steer says, “We recognize how our MYSP is an organic document, so this survey is intended to keep us informed on how our community feels about our progress. Data collection is essential to measuring our progress, so we are looking for feedback from all stakeholders, as part of our ongoing data collection strategy.”

“In June of last year, our board completed an extensive participatory process which culminated in our five-year MYSP to serve as our roadmap over the years 2021-2026. To be consistent with this process, this survey will continue to engage the participation of all stakeholders. Just as importantly, it will provide us with valuable benchmark metrics that will assist our board in assessing the progress of this strategic plan from year to year,” says Board Chair Jay Aspin.

The survey can be found on the board’s website and is open from March 11 until April 15, 2022.

Once the data is collected, it will give the MSYP committee an indication of which areas are successfully moving ahead according to the plan. The committee plans to review data and present a report to the Board at its May meeting.

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For more information, please contact:

Deb Bartlett
Communications Officer
Near North District School Board
P. (705) 472-8170, extension 5010
E. Deb.Bartlett@nearnorthschools.ca

Monday, Feb. 28, 2022

PSW students heading to class for the first time today

Thirty new students packed their bags and headed to school today as they engage in the inaugural personal support worker (PSW) courses being offered by Near North District School Board (NNDSB). The courses are being held in Parry Sound and North Bay.

In a unique educational opportunity, NNDSB partnered with healthcare facilities to provide living classrooms, in which students learn theory in a classroom then apply the knowledge on the floor of a long-term care home.

Today, 18 students headed to class at Cassellholme in North Bay, and 12 started class at Belvedere Heights in Parry Sound. The board intends to start a PSW program in September in West Nipissing and Mattawa.

Gracie Liritzis is one of those students. She’s been out of school for six years and admits to being hesitant to apply for the program. “Do I remember how to study? I’m an adult with adult responsibilities – will I be able to manage my time?” she asks. On the flip side, Liritzis says, “I’ve had a lot of life experiences. I’m not as scared of failure or have a fear of being wrong. I’m able to handle constructive criticism and learn from it.”

She applied to the program after working in several fields but wanted an active role in her community and to feel fulfilled at the end of the day. “It is really important for me to feel like I’ve contributed to something, and I wasn’t getting that in other professions,” says Liritzis.

NNDSB Board Chair Jay Aspin notes that the development and launch of the PSW program demonstrates the board’s commitment to the pillars of excellence in its recently developed Multi-Year Strategic Plan. “This program embodies excellence in innovation and excellence in relationships, two of the four pillars of that plan. It is through this type of work that NNDSB staff are reshaping what public education can look like and how the board can contribute to the communities it serves.”

Upon completion of the program, Liritzis and her classmates will be fully trained PSWs with experience on the floor of a long-term care home. For program partners, seeing the students develop every day is like a months-long job interview; many students will wind up with employment offers. Across the province, there is a PSW shortage, which programs like this can address.

Director of Education Craig Myles says the board’s ability to help fill that employment gap was a major impetus for developing the program. “NNDSB has the opportunity to grow stronger community relationships while encouraging learners to come back to school. Our staff live and work in communities throughout the district, and we are proud to be able to contribute to educating the workforce that will support us and our families in healthcare.”

Instructors for the courses are Nancy Corbett in North Bay and Nicole Robinson in Parry Sound. Both are Registered Practical Nurses (RPN) with backgrounds and experience in long-term care. That depth and breadth of knowledge in providing hands-on care will serve the PSW students well.

Corbett has worked as a RPN at Cassellholme for 25 years and has been a preceptor for RPN students completing their consolidation. She’s excited about teaching the PSW program in a living classroom. “Students will have the chance to learn in a very practical and hands-on setting, which I believe will provide the students with the skills and confidence to be successful in their new PSW career,” she says.

The healthcare sector has a need for PSWs that Corbett says is particularly great in the long-term care sector. She was interested in becoming a NNDSB instructor because “it is a great way to give back to the healthcare profession and Cassellholme. I want to help ensure the newly trained PSW’s are ready to provide excellent care for their residents/clients.” Her goal is to “show students how rewarding a career in healthcare is, and that what they do every day and the interactions they have with their residents/clients will have an enormous impact in their lives.”

Liritzis says her experience through the application process has been positive, and she’s felt supported through the process. To people who are unsure of applying to the PSW program, she says, “do it! It’s free.” She’s grateful for the opportunity to start a career in healthcare. “You’re so young in high school and expected to make big decisions that I just wasn’t ready for,” she says. She’s grateful for a second chance.

Anyone interested in applying for another course should submit this registration form and email it to alysha.young@nearnorthschools.ca.

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For more information, please contact:

Deb Bartlett
Communications Officer
Near North District School Board
P. (705) 472-8170, extension 5010
E. Deb.Bartlett@nearnorthschools.ca