Dave Ogilvie
Education Week is an opportunity for Ontario’s publicly-funded schools to celebrate student achievement and educational excellence.
The theme for this year was “Building the Best Education System for the World.”
This year’s Education Week at Donald Young School, which ran from May 4-8, reflected the efforts of both staff and students to make their school live up to this theme.
Education Week began with a visit from Betty Jane Wylie, a writer from Toronto, who spoke about her work as well as worked with the students in their classrooms.
On Tuesday, students from Grades 1-3 attended the Environmental Film Festival being held at the Townshend Theatre in Fort Frances.
The primary students were shown a series of three short “green” movies entitled “Raising the Green Roof,” “Intestines of the Earth,” and “Squirm.”
On the same day, students in Grades 6-8 remained at DYS, where they took part in the school’s annual speech contest.
Then on Wednesday, those in Grades 4-8 attended the Environmental Film Festival in Fort Frances, where they viewed a movie entitled “Garbage Revolution.”
It is a video, which has been on CBC several times, about three kids from one family who collect their garbage for a three-month period.
Wednesday also marked the beginning of the school’s annual Scholastic Book Fair, which was open from 9 a.m.-3:15 p.m.
The book sale also continued on Thursday from 9-11:30 a.m.
Thursday also was important to the students because it was “Jump Rope for Heart” Day, a national fundraising program that gets kids physically active while raising vital funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
According to recent statistics, Canadian children today are at greater risk of heart disease and stroke than any previous generation of kids.
As well as learning about the importance of physical activity and raising money for heart and stroke research, the students could win prizes for their school, including things such as a DVD player, a digital stopwatch, scooter boards, or a $100 in Scholar’s Choice gift certificate.
The DYS students did an amazing job, raising nearly $4,000 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Education Week concluded on Friday with a Mother’s Day tea and highlights from the recent Rainy River District Festival of the Performing Arts.
Family, friends, and community members were treated to excellent performances by 21 students who had participated in the festival.
The afternoon program showcased the remarkable abilities of these students in the areas of piano, vocal, and drama.
Thanks goes out to Katharine Williams and Renee Martin-Brown for putting together such a wonderful program.
