Menu

Students

lochlan

Kenora-raised fourth grader campaigning for “America’s Favorite Student”

,

Ten-year old Kenora native Lochlan Hawes is in the running for $20,000, a tour of the Planetary Society with Bill Nye, and a feature in Reader’s Digest.

Hawes is among the top 1% of applicants for “America’s Favorite Student,” a contest for young students aged 6-17 from Canada and the US.

“We’ll donate some of [the prize money] to my cousin Harper’s GoFundMe, because she has CTNNB1,” Lochlan said.

CTNNB1 Syndrome is an ultra-rare genetic disorder that impairs growth of the brain and central nervous system. When Lochlan’s cousin Harper was 20 months old, her parents were told that she would most likely not walk or talk and would have severe global and intellectual delay. Harper has since learned to walk short distances with the help of leg braces and a walker. She began to communicate verbally shortly after her 5th birthday.

Some of Lochlan’s prize money would go to his cousin Harper Tanton’s treatments. (via Christopher Hawes)

Now eight years old, Harper has been selected as just the third child worldwide to participate in a groundbreaking human clinical trial for a new gene replacement therapy designed specifically for CTNNB1 Syndrome.

“After years of investing in Harper’s therapies (upwards of $20,000 annually), [Harper’s parents] Scott and Tara find themselves financially stretched, making it challenging to provide Harper with this unique opportunity,” Harper’s family wrote in their GoFundMe.

Lochlan says his prize money will go towards Harper’s treatment and his future post-secondary education.

“Harper’s a really great kid,” said Lochlan’s dad Christopher Hawes. “She’s really sweet and funny. We’re supporting her in many ways, and this will be another great way to do that.”

Lochlan and his family (via Christopher Hawes)

According to Lochlan, math is his favourite subject because he enjoys the rules and patterns behind solving problems.

“He legitimately loves learning,” Lochlan’s dad said. “Honestly, it’s been so exciting to learn with him and take him to his limits of understanding things.”

Born in Kenora, Lochlan moved to Thunder Bay two years ago. He plays competitive soccer and trains several times a week. He likes to play chess and cross country skis in his spare time.

“I’d like to meet Bill Nye,” Lochlan said. “We see him in science. He’s happy and always positive.”

With enough votes, Lochlan will advance to the semifinals of America’s Favorite Student. Click here to place your vote.

“We’ve had some wonderful support from friends and family and we’re now at the quarterfinal phase, which is amazing. The next step is to get some more momentum. We’re hoping people will vote for Lochlan help him go to the Planetary Society and meet Bill, and win some money for his education and to share with his cousin,” Lochlan’s dad said.

Voting for the quarterfinals closes May 7.

SAVE OSAP screen

NDP takes up fight against OSAP changes

, ,

There is a campaign underway aimed at reversing changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program.

The provincial NDP has initiated it.

Save OSAP includes a website that asks people to sign petitions and letters objecting to the reduction of the grant portion of funding provided to eligible post-secondary students from 85% to 25%.

NDP leader Marit (MAR-it) Stiles says the move will leave students graduating into debt instead of opportunities.

“You cannot build a strong economy on the backs of a generation buried in debt,” states Stiles in a release.

“While Ford is busy insulting young people trying to get an education, students and their families will be forced to bear the costs of his cuts.”

The Premier insists the changes are necessary because the program is not sustainable under its current format.

He is standing behind them.

“It’s going to be 25%. And that puts us in the middle of the pack. That’s more than British Columbia. That’s more than Alberta. That’s more than Saskatchewan. Equal to Manitoba and other provinces across our country,” says Ford.

sv-on2022-black-e1654119055316

Students Learning About Provincial Election

, , , , ,

They can’t vote on June 2, but some schoolchildren across northwestern Ontario will be casting ballots for who they think should be the next premier.

It is part of the Student Vote Ontario program.

It was established in 2003 as a civic education program to teach kids about democracy and voting.

Ruth Matthew of Civix Canada says over two thousand schools and 480,000 students are taking part in the program this election.

“The teachers register their schools for Student Vote that sends out free learning resources, as well as voting materials to prepare their class. Then the students actually go through the process of researching the candidates and the issues in their local writings. That fosters dialogue and discussion amongst their peers and with their families later on. They also engage with the campaign through different things like candidate forums and leaders debates,” says Matthew.

The program includes a class or school-wide vote for the candidates running in the provincial election. The results will be released on the night of the election.

“One of the main objectives of Student Vote is to create lifelong voters so it goes to skills and habits of active citizenship. Since voting is a habit, there’s actually research that shows that if somebody casts a ballot the first time they go to vote, they will actually become a lifelong voter.”

Sixty-six schools in northwestern Ontario in all four area ridings are among those taking part in the program.

steven-lecce-feb-18

Province Announcing New Supports For Students

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Ontario’s Education Ministry is out with a five-point plan to address the learning issues arising from the pandemic.

The plan includes comprehensive tutoring programs, support for student mental health and well-being, strengthening numeracy and literacy skills, modernizing the curriculum and resuming standardized testing.

Minister Stephen Lecce says the signature component is $176 million to expand tutoring programs.

“It will allow children in all schools, all publicly funded schools, to have access to small groups on average of five students available after schools, sometimes during schools, during spares, for example, and on weekends,” says Lecce.

Programs are to be in place by this April.

Lecce is also allowing school boards to work with other community groups to create tutoring programs.

Some of them will likely be available online.

Another $90 million will be spent on programs that support the mental health and well-being of students.

Lecce says the money will help school boards assist students who are experiencing mental health challenges that impact their learning.

The funding will also help retain the existing mental health workers in schools.

Standardized testing will take place this spring for students in grades 3 and 6 to assess their learning levels.

There are also additional funds for summer school programs.

The $600 million initiative is part of the $26.6 billion earmarked for school boards in the 2022-23 school year.

That’s a $680 million increase over the amount provided for the current school year.

“No government in Ontario history has invested more in public education, tutoring supports, mental health, and special education than ours led by Premier Ford,” says Lecce. “We are bridging learning gaps that have emerged over the past years through a massive increase in small group tutoring programs and through the expansion of mental health supports to benefit children across all schools in Ontario.”

School boards will still be allowed to run virtually learning.

A breakdown of the provincial investments;

Increasing Investment to School Boards

  • *A $683.9 million increase in Grants for Student Needs (GSN) funding, with projected total funding of $26.1 billion. This represents a 2.7 per cent increase from 2021-22
  • Average per pupil GSN funding is projected to rise to $13,059, which is an increase of $339 or a 2.7 per cent increase from 2021-22
  • Over $500 million in Priorities and Partnerships Funding (PPF)
  • $90 million in total mental health investments, representing a 420 per cent increase in funding since 2017-18
  • $15 million to deliver expanded summer learning opportunities
  • $92.9 million increase in Special Education Grant funding through the GSN where it is projected to increase to over $3.25 billion, the highest amount ever provided in Special Education Grant funding
  • $304 million in time-limited additional staffing supports, through the COVID-19 Learning Recovery Fund as part of the GSN. This funding will go towards the hiring of an estimated 3,000 front-line staff – including teachers, early childhood educators, educational assistants, and other education workers to address learning recovery.
  • The government is also continuing to provide $1.4 billion for the repair and renewal of schools for the 2022-23 school year.
monte-skills-traininig

Province Announces More Money For Skills Training

, , , , , , , , ,

The Ford government is really pushing the skilled trades.

Labor Minister Monte McNaughton says another 90 million dollars is for students for training in the skilled trades.

“Starting next year we will host skills trades career fairs all across Ontario to reach more youth,” says McNaughton.

“Our pre-apprenticeship training program will also see an increase to 28 million dollars annually to provide free training particularly for marginalized youth, women and indigenous peoples.”

McNaughton says they are good-paying jobs with pensions and benefits, but there is a shortage of skilled workers in the province.

Education minister Stephen Lecce says there is a big demand for these workers.

“The need for the skilled trades is expected to grow with Ontario projected to need more than 100 thousand additional workers including skilled tradespeople in the construction sector to meet the needs of the economy in the coming years.”

Lecce says the demand for skilled workers is expected to be high for the next five years.

21688868144_18cc1131fb_b

Vote on Campus Not Happening This Election: Elections Canada

, , , , , ,

Elections Canada has said it will not be offering its Vote on Campus program previously offered in both the 2015 and 2019 federal elections.

The program aimed to provide easier voting access for students and allowed those eligible voters to cast a ballot by providing polling locations on campuses across the country.

According to Elections Canada Regional Media Advisor, Francoise Enguehard, a decision was made when the writ was dropped in August by Elections Canada not to pursue the program due to logistical reasons, saying it was too late of notice.

“With the pandemic we have had challenges in recruiting and with an increase in demand for mail-in voting which led to us having to prioritize our resources to help the most vulnerable of the electorate,” she said.

Enguehard adds Elections Canada had to devote time and people to ensuring voting options are available to people in long-term care homes and hospitals and that those residents are educated on those options.

With the Vote on Campus program not an option this time, Enguehard says Elections Canada does intend to revitalize the program for the next election, assuming there is not a major pandemic still looming over the nation.

With Vote on Campus not going ahead this election, there are still options for students to vote.

The first, by advance voting which can be done by visiting an Elections Canada office where students can ask to vote in whatever they consider their home riding, an option available until September 14.

The second option is to contact Elections Canada either in person or over the phone and request a mail-in ballot.

In 2019, 110,000 students utilized the Vote on Campus program across over 100 campuses nationwide.

 

rogernes-1

Fewer Summer Students Employed This Year In Dryden

, , ,

There won’t be as many summer students working in Dryden this year.

Chief Administrative Officer Roger Nesbitt says COVID-19 has forced the City to reduce seasonal staff numbers.

Nesbitt says Public Works and the Recreation Department will be the hardest hit.

“We have a lot of summer student positions in the Parks department. So when you think about flowers, grass cutting around town, a lot of the litter clean-up, public washroom clean-up. That’s done a lot by student workforce. So very, very noticeable to residents.”

The Dryden Police Service won’t be hiring its two summer patrol students because of restrictions and a lack of community events.

Justin-Trudeau-June-25-2020

New Details About Student Service Grant

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Canada’s prime minister has unveiled new details about the Canada student service grant.

Justin Trudeau says students can give back to their community while earning money for their post-secondary education.

“If you’re a college or university student or if you just graduated and you decide to volunteer this summer, you could get a grant of between $1,000 and $5,000,” said Trudeau on Thursday.

The exact amount will depend on how many hours a student volunteers between June 18 and Sept. 15.

Trudeau said the government will also invest $40 million to create 5,000 Mitacs internship. The money is part of the federal government’s $9-billion plan to help students.

“Mitacs is an NGO that builds partnerships between universities and industry. With their training programs, internships and projects, they help shape the next generation of innovators,” he said.

Mitacs caters to masters or PhD research students but Trudeau said the funding will allow them to expand to include undergraduate students and students in professional programs like law, medicine or business.

“The funding will also allow Mitacs to partner with more organizations like hospitals, foundations and municipal governments to create even more opportunities for young people,” said Trudeau.

Trudeau also announced 10,000 new job placements for students between 15 and 30 years of age through Canada Summer Jobs and 20,000 placements for post-secondary students through the Student Work Placement Program.

“If we want to build a strong and resilient economy, we have to invest in the next generation. We have to make sure our young people have the right tools to work, innovate and succeed in the economy of the future.”

stevelecc-1-1

Province Looking At Plan To Help Vulnerable Students

, , , ,

Ontario’s Education Minister says his government is working on a plan to help vulnerable children get the learning supports they need over the summer.

Stephen Lecce says a number of steps have been taken and more programs will be rolled out in the weeks ahead.

Lecce notes they have put out an expectation to their boards of education that every single mental health and special education resource that is funded in Ontario is readily available.

He notes that includes ensuring educational assists, psychologists and social workers are supporting families and providing as much support as humanly possible to help parents until schools reopen in September.

Lecce says they will also be unveiling a two week Summer program to help children with autism and mental health challenges re-acclimatize to life back in the classroom.

It will focus on behaviour and communication and will be led by school board staff and health professionals.

 

benches-1

Community Effort To Bring Joy To Seniors In Dryden

, , ,

Brightening up Princess Court in Dryden and uplifting the residents who live there.

That was the purpose of a pre-COVID-19 campaign by local students and members of the Princess Court Family Council.

Council Chair Carol Gardam talked about the project at a Dryden Rotary Club virtual meeting Wednesday.

Gardam says they painted the six benches outside in bright, cheerful colours.

She notes “the benches are used by residents and families when they are visiting and are at the main entrance so they are also a nice welcome to all visitors coming into the building.”

Gardam adds they had students put their art up on the bulletin boards as well as had high school students paint murals in the hallways.

Gardam stresses it was a great opportunity to have our youth interact with seniors.

 

Load More