Applause! is the monthly recognition of significant achievements and contributions by staff, students and community partners at a York Region District School Board Public Board Meeting.
Recognition of achievements is based on alignment with the organizational goals outlined by the Trustees’ Multi-Year Plan in combination with the criteria set out in Staff Awards and Student Awards policies.
2017-2018 Applause Recipients
Vaughan Fire Chief Retires
June 2018
The York Region District School Board greatly values its partnership with Vaughan Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS). Fire Chief Larry Bentley has been very passionate about working with schools and students and has supported several educational initiatives in the Vaughan community to educate staff and students about fire safety and prevention.
VRFS runs an adopt-a-school program that is aimed specifically at community classes. Chief Bentley has encouraged his crews to work closely with special needs students in order to promote student and staff safety. Over the years, VRFS has developed a strong presence in Vaughan schools that can be attributed to the leadership of Chief Bentley.
Chief Bentley is retiring from Vaughan Fire and Rescue Services this month after joining the VRFS in 1979. Last year, he was honoured by his fellow chief officers for developing partnerships with stakeholders and providing valuable contributions to the community around educating residents on fire prevention. Some of the fire safety initiatives include Alarms for Life, After the Heat, promoting home escape planning, summer camps and library programs, distributing fire safety educational materials, releasing public service announcements and connecting with residents through social media.
Provincial Award for Accepting Schools Recipient
June 2018
Johnny Lombardi Public School in Woodbridge is one of 10 schools across the province to be recognized this year for creating safe and accepting learning environments. The Premier’s Awards for Accepting Schools celebrate school teams that have shown leadership and innovation in creating safe, inclusive and accepting schools.
Johnny Lombardi PS received the award for its work to build a respectful and inclusive school culture where everyone feels welcome and valued since opening in 2016.
This work includes:
Creating a Students Advocating For Equity (S.A.F.E.) team made up of students and staff dedicated to promoting well-being and developing a safe and inclusive environment.
Offering a variety of resources to encourage student and staff learning about different cultures, mindfulness and mental health, including daily, school-wide Mindful Moments.
Fostering a sense of belonging for all students through initiatives like the Buddy Bench, which supports students who are looking for a peer to play with and fosters friendship and inclusion, and the Zen Den, a safe place students can access when feeling anxious, in need of support or a quiet spot to reflect.
Initiating a conflict resolution circle to address conflicts and help students solve problems.
Providing leadership opportunities for older students to support younger students at recess.
Johnny Lombardi Public School is the sixth school in York Region District School Board to receive the Premier’s Award for Safe and Accepting Schools in the last five years. It also received a 2018 School of Character Award from the Character Community Foundation of York Region.
Womanly
June 2018
Students at Aurora High School have written and composed an original 30-minute play made up of a series of vignettes inspired by the #metoo movement and grounded in personal narratives. The students were invited to perform their original, collectively created play, Womanly in the Ontario Showcase of the National Theatre School Drama Festival in Cambridge, Ontario (formerly known as the Provincial Showcase of the Sears Ontario Drama Festival).
The Ontario Showcase is the third and final stage of the festival. It is meant to celebrate the top 12 shows of Ontario. Over 300 schools entered the festival from various regions around the province and after two stages of the festival (the District and the Regionals), only the top 12 shows go on to the showcase.
Womanly came away from the festival winning four Awards of Excellence, including two Outstanding Production Awards and was the only YRDSB school to advance to the Ontario Showcase. Womanly is an example of "devised theatre," or what was once referred to as an "anthology' - a collection of movement, spoken word, music, and narrative scenes all intertwined and centred on a given theme.
As is suggested by the play's title, the theme is based on concerns around the status of women in today's society and the impact of sexism on teenage girls against a backdrop of broader, systemic injustices faced by women.
The Government of Canada History Awards
May 2018
Presented for the fourth consecutive year, the 2017 Government of Canada History Awards honour the work of university and high school students (in Grades 10 - 12) who, through their writing, have shown an interest in great moments in Canadian history. In all, more than 800 student submissions were received from across the country. In the High Schools category, the 2017 Government of Canada History Awards recipients each receive a $1,000 prize—divided between partners for team submissions.
Students were required to submit an original piece of writing of no more than 1,000 words in length in the form of a historical essay, a historical work of fiction or digital content. The submissions had to address one of the following topics: reconciliation with indigenous peoples, the First World War, Expo 67, Canadian identity or the development of a new national historic site.
Submissions were also required to demonstrate original research, historical analysis, a good knowledge of the subject matter and critical thinking skills. The winners were selected by an independent jury made up of history educators.
The YRDSB recipients are:
- Doris Zhou and Albert Zhu, Bayview Secondary School
- Nazanin Soghrati, Bayview Secondary School
- Alexandra Cooper, Bill Crothers Secondary School
- Lauren MacDonald, Bill Crothers Secondary School
- Savannah Skeete, Bill Crothers Secondary School
- Damien Ho, Markville Secondary School
- Arthur Chen, Markville Secondary School
- Michael Wilson, Markville Secondary School
- Mishaal Lakhani, Markville Secondary School
- Cheryl Cheung, Markville Secondary School
- Robert Cai, Markville Secondary School
- Helen Wong, Markville Secondary School
The Government of Canada History Awards were created in 2013. Their goal is to connect youth to their history by honouring the work of outstanding students who show an interest in great moments in Canadian history. The awards are administered by Canada’s History. Canada’s History is a national charitable organization whose mission is to promote greater popular interest in Canadian history, principally through its publishing, education, and recognition programs.
York Regional Police Chief for a Day
May 2018
Grade 5 student Jin Zhou, from Henderson Avenue Public School, is this year’s winner of the annual York Regional Police Chief of Police for a Day Contest.
Jin was one of five finalists who delivered an essay they wrote before a panel of judges in March 2017. This year’s essay topic was: How does York Regional Police demonstrate leadership to ensure the community feels safe and secure?
In April, Jin was part of a swearing-in ceremony where he took the helm from Chief Eric Jolliffe and was responsible for the management of more than 2,200 sworn officers and civilians. While carrying out his duties, Jin wore a specially-made Chief of Police uniform. He was escorted to a variety of activities within York Regional Police, including a tour of the new training facility, Air2, the Emergency Response Unit and Canine Unit.
Later in May, he will present his essay to more than 1,000 guests at the 26th Annual Police Appreciation Night. The Chief of Police for a Day Contest is sponsored by the York Regional Police Appreciation Night committee, the Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan Chinese Business Association and Shanahan Ford of Newmarket.
Cornell Village Staff and Students Support Hospital Foundation
April 2018
Cornell Village Public School Grade 3 student Jacob Tzogas demonstrated leadership and initiative by rallying his peers and teachers to help support the Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation’s Buy a Bear program.
Jacob was visiting a family member at the hospital when he spotted several teddy bears in a “bear tree.” Intrigued by the bears, Jacob learned that hospital patrons can buy a bear for a patient and the money goes towards the purchase of life-saving equipment.
Wanting to help support the Buy a Bear program, Jacob pitched the idea of a friendship button-making campaign to his classmates and to his teacher, Laura Crouse. He made a slideshow which was shown to the two Grade 3 classrooms.
All 40 Grade 3 students pitched in to help support the program. They put up posters, made announcements and found various ways to help out. Both Grade 3 teachers, Laura Crouse and Sarah Irgolino, gave up their recess time for two weeks in February to help the students raise money.
Altogether, the staff and students at Cornell Village Public School raised $500 for Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation’s Buy a Bear program.
The Learning Partnership Outstanding Principals
March 2018
Donna Ford, Principal of Roselawn Public School and Krysten Cameron, Principal of German Mills Public School have been named two of Canada’s Outstanding Principals by The Learning Partnership.
Ford and Cameron are among 40 principals from across Canada who have been honoured for their outstanding contributions to publicly funded education. The program recognizes principals who demonstrate innovation, leadership and employing creativity in finding solutions and opportunities within their school communities.
Donna Ford, of Roselawn Public School in Richmond Hill, explores ways to acknowledge and reduce anxiety and mental health issues for students. Together with her team, she has developed a mental health protocol through the Mentor and Advocate for Student Health and Wellbeing (MASH) team. Families are also invited to attend assemblies that recognize students for positive gains in their learning behaviours.
Krysten Cameron, of German Mills Public School in Thornhill, models a growth mindset and champions inclusion for students with special needs. Recognizing the importance of an inviting learning environment, Krysten acquired flexible seating options, including standing tables, exercise balls, and wobble seats. She also leverages digital technologies to extend learning beyond the classroom.
Donna and Krysten received their awards at the Canada’s Outstanding Principals awards gala in February. All of the recipients have the opportunity to attend a five-day executive leadership training program on leadership and management practices at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. Principals also participate in The World of Work: Equity and Inclusion where they have the opportunity to learn from leaders in business, health and education.
Bur Oak Secondary School Students Achieve Success at Rotman High School Market Simulation Challenge and Ryerson Y2 Entrepreneurship Competition
March 2018
Two Grade 12 students at Bur Oak Secondary School, Mubin Qureshi and Johnny Jiang, have embraced innovation, creativity and entrepreneurism to enhance their business studies. Both students entered and won two highly regarded competitions - the Rotman High School Market Challenge (Stock Market Simulation) and the Y2 Entrepreneurship Competition at Ryerson University.
The High School Market Simulation Challenge provides Grade 12 students with an introduction to simulation based learning and challenges them to compete against each other. Mubin and Johnny competed against 30 teams from Boards across the province.
Students began the competition by participating in a session designed to introduce them to the financial markets and the Rotman Interactive Trader (RIT) software. Students then applied the knowledge they learned in a competition that is modeled after the Rotman International Trading Competition (RITC) for university students.
The Y2 Entrepreneurship Competition is open to secondary school students who are interested in building their entrepreneurial, leadership and business skills.
The competition is broken down into two consecutive Saturdays. On the first day, students take part in several mini-workshops around design thinking before learning about building a pitch presentation for investors. On the second day, students learn about effective speaking skills for entrepreneurs before being given time to finalize and rehearse their pitch. The students then deliver a final presentation of their pitch to a panel of established entrepreneurs and “angel” investors.
The judges pick their top two teams who win a dinner with a serial entrepreneur or senior technology leader, where they have the opportunity to learn from the mentor and receive feedback on their pitch.
Participants come from across Ontario to take part in the competition.
Student Music Scholarship Concert
February 2018
For the last 25 years, Mr. Jim Thomas has been an advocate and champion of musical education in Whitchurch-Stouffville.
Every year, Mr. Thomas has organized the annual Student Music Scholarship Concert which aims to showcase the musical talents of students in the Whitchurch-Stouffville area. This year’s concert featured more than 500 students representing eight Whitchurch-Stouffville schools and raised over $6,300. Each participating school received $750.
Over the past 25 years, more than $120,000 has been raised with all monies going to schools to assist with their music programs.
Canada 150 Citizenship Award Recipients
February 2018
In November, the Member of Parliament for Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill, awarded Canada 150Citizenship Awards to Teacher-Librarian, Robin Morrison-Claus and Teacher, Stephen Lanning of Regency Acres Public School.
Morrison-Claus and Lanning were recognized for their commitment to Thought Leadership through their creation and implementation of the Regency Acres PS classroom-sized Makerspace which allows whole classes to explore STEM concepts. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) learning opportunities allow students to explore their critical thinking skills and introduces them to real-world problem-solving scenarios.
Robin and Stephen have inspired a huge pedagogical shift that has inspired new learning for Regency Acres PS students. Morrison-Claus is currently organizing a full day BrainPower! STEAM Conference where students can further explore STEAM subject areas as they relate to their everyday world and future career possibilities.
The Canada 150Citizenship Award is an initiative carried out by Members of Parliament across Canada to recognize individuals who have worked hard to better their community, their country, and have made important contributions that are bigger than themselves.
OSLCars Short Film Festival
February 2018
Three York Region District School Board schools beat out competitors across Ontario to win at the 6th annual OSLCars Awards. The OSLCars Short Film Festival provides awards annually to Ontario schools and student councils at the Ontario Student Leadership Conference held in Niagara Falls.
Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School won in the Best Overall Film category.
The theme of the 2017 conference was Red, White, Ignite: The Next 150. In order to win the competition students had to submit one original video with a maximum of four minutes. Over 2,000 students from across Ontario travelled to Niagara Falls to watch the top two films in each of the categories at the Ontario Student Leadership Conference held November 5-7, 2017.
YRDSB Teacher Leads Design of Accessible Washroom Trailer
December 2017
Derek Bunn who teaches special needs students at Sutton District High School has been instrumental in the design of a new fully accessible washroom trailer.
The trailer, which complies with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, features an adult size changing table, a lift system, adjustable ramps and extra space to give caregivers room to change individuals and administer food and medication.
Derek was inspired to design the trailer after working with special needs students and witnessing the difficulties and challenges they faced when attending events. He approached various municipalities and organizations for financial support and with the help of a federal grant was able to secure the $140,000 needed to build the trailer.
The accessible washroom trailer will be maintained by staff at the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, who will also coordinate bookings for fairs and other community events across York Region. Along with the bookings, Whitchurch-Stouffville staff will handle the towing and setup arrangements.
The trailer was put into use at the 2017 Invictus Games held in Toronto and is expected to be available for outdoor events next year.
YRDSB Wins Big at the OSLCars Awards
December 2017
Three York Region District School Board schools beat out competitors across Ontario to win at the 6thannual OSLCars Awards.
The OSLCars Short Film Festival provides awards annually to Ontario schools and student councils at the Ontario Student Leadership Conference held in Niagara Falls.
The three YRDSB award winners are:
- Best Representation of School – Bill Crothers Secondary School
- · Best Use of Conference Theme – Markham District High School
- · Best Overall Film – Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School
The theme of the 2017 conference was Red, White, Ignite: The Next 150. In order to win the competition students had to submit one original video with a maximum of four minutes. Over 2,000 students from across Ontario travelled to Niagara Falls to watch the top two films in each of the categories at the Ontario Student Leadership Conference held November 5-7, 2017.
Doodle 4 Google National Finalists
November 17
The Doodle 4 Google contest is designed to encourage Canadian students to use their creativity and create their own interpretation of the Google logo. The contest features entries from JK-Grade 12 students from across Canada whose submissions reflected the theme “What I See for Canada’s Future is...”
York Region District School Board led this year’s Google Canada 150 contest in finalists with three students in each of the age groups. The three finalists were:
- Lei (Leo) Cao from Coledale Public School (Kindergarten – Grade 3)
- Flora Hu from Doncrest Public School (Grade 4 – 6)
- Carol Zhou from Markville Secondary School (Grade 7 – 9)
Their doodles touched on themes of technology, the environment, and diversity in envisioning the future for Canada.
Although the three national finalists did not win the national competition, the students’ artwork is featured in the Doodle 4 Google online gallery and on the Board’s Google Apps for Education (GAPPS) webpage.
Local School Receives Premier’s Award for Accepting Schools
October 2017
Black River Public School was one of 10 schools across the province recognized for creating safe and accepting learning environments. The Premier’s Awards for Accepting Schools celebrate school teams that have shown leadership and innovation in creating safe, inclusive and accepting schools.
Black River P.S. received the award for their work to address the needs of their school population by setting high standards for character and inclusivity and creating safe spaces in the school. This includes:
Infusing the BEAR Spirit (Be Excellent and Respectful) throughout the school through assemblies, spirit days, and events and fundraisers that support the local community.
Encouraging acceptance, setting high expectations and providing opportunities for all students to succeed and get involved in school activities.
Providing “the Zone” space where students can find a quiet spot to concentrate or calm down, solve problems, have conversations and participate in activities that promote well-being.
Teaching students strategies for self-regulation.
Black River Public School is the fifth school in York Region District School Board to receive the Premier’s Award for Safe and Accepting Schools in the last four years.
First Book Canada
October 2017
In an effort to provide new reading materials to all students, First Book Canada created a publishers’ clearinghouse which donates large quantities of free books to thousands of schools and programs serving communities in greatest need.
Community Resource Facilitators from the Inclusive School and Community Services Department reached out to First Book Canada in 2011. The first few years of that relationship saw approximately 5,000 books a year ending up in the hands of students in school communities with the highest needs. By 2014, the number had grown to over 10,000 books a year with several YRDSB schools participating in unique whole class reading programs.
By 2015, several YRDSB departments, First Book Canada, and their Bank of Montreal (BMO) and Compugen partners, developed a Chromebook Pilot Project that saw 120 new Chromebooks donated to the families of students in Grades 5-6 at Sutton Public School and Black River Public School. For the past three years, First Book Canada donations have provided all of Building Blocks for Kindergarten students with their very own new books.
As of this past school year, over 100,000 books have made their way into the hands of students.
Ontario Student Trustees' Association (OSTA-AECO) Award Recipient
September 2017
The Ontario Student Voice Awards are a set of six scholarships presented by the Ontario Student Trustees' Association (OSTA-AECO) that pay tribute to the hard work, dedication, and caring nature of the province’s most exceptional students.
The mission of the Commitment to Justice Award is to honour the achievements of students who show immense commitment and enthusiasm for justice. Richmond Hill High School student, Jathusha Mahenthirarajan is the recipient of the Commitment to Justice Award because of her outstanding involvements.
Jathusha founded Ontario’s first chapter of GirlTalk, a peer-to-peer mentoring program designed to empower girls. Jathusha has also impacted her community largely through founding a youth-led organization called L.I.G.H.T. (lead, inspire, grow, hope, transform). L.I.G.H.T. works on initiating rich and honest dialogue about topics like assimilation, racial profiling and discriminatory grounds where access to resources is limited. L.I.G.H.T. has hosted over a dozen events including free art camps for low-income, newly immigrated and refugee children, a mentorship program and a mental health walk. The aim of this organization is to change public perceptions of young people from being the problem to the solution by modelling it themselves. L.I.G.H.T hopes to change the service sector to be more open in regards to youth-led projects and voices in decision-making processes.
Jathusha has had international impact through travelling to Kenya to build a surgical wing and running a conference at a girl’s orphanage in Sri Lanka. She is a Because I am a Girl speaker and has made presentations on issues such as child marriage, gender-based violence and education. She was chosen to step into the role of federal Cabinet Minister of Status of Women for a day and had the chance to consult with Madame Sophie Gregoire Trudeau due to her impact on gender equality.
In addition to OSTA-AECO’s award, Jathusha is the recipient of several other awards including:
- TD Scholarship for Community Leadership
- Terry Fox Humanitarian Award
- National Girl Talk Leader of the Year
- Ontario Student Voice Commitment to Justice Award
- York University Governors' Awards of Distinction: John Proctor Scholarship
- York University Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies Entrance Award
- Nahome Berhane Scholarship for Leadership & Inclusion
- Students Making an Impact Award (from Benson Kearly Inc.)