The Rainy River District School Board on Tuesday honoured three district students and Abitibi-Consolidated with this month’s “Recognition of Excellence” for their participation in the prestigious Shad Valley summer program.
“This is a terrific opportunity for students, not only academically but for life skills as well,” said Fort Frances High School principal Ian Simpson.
Shad Valley was founded by Shad International, an educational organization based in Waterloo, Ont., to challenge and inspire outstanding high school-level students, such as Amy Gill, Kerri Langtry, and Emily Gibb, the first two of whom were at Tuesday night’s board meeting.
During July, students reside at one of 10 Canadian universities, or in Scotland, where they are creatively and intellectually challenged while immersed in the university campus lifestyle.
Students then follow up the Shad Valley academic experience with a four-week practical work term with their corporate partner.
Gill and Langtry offered rave reviews of their Shad Valley experiences.
“To me, Shad Valley was more than just a summer camp for ‘smart kids,’” wrote Gill in a presentation to the board. “It meant more to me and changed my life in ways that I will never forget and will always be grateful for.”
Gill, who attended Shad Valley in 1999, was sponsored by Abitibi-Consolidated, which went on to sponsor Gibb and Langtry this past summer.
“What I will remember most are the friendships, bonds, and connections for the future,” Gill added. “Shad taught me about people and about myself.
“Because of Shad, I have more confidence in my people skills and my abilities.
Likewise, Langtry lauded her Shad program at the University of Calgary as the experience of a lifetime. “It was a challenge physically, mentally, and emotionally,” she remarked. “Shad pushed me to my limits and way beyond.
“I learned to take the word ‘can’t’ out of my vocabulary because after the experience at Shad Calgary, there is nothing I cannot do,” Langtry added.
Gibb, who spent July living in a residence at the University of British Columbia, said in a written presentation to the board that the educational experience was diverse and worthwhile.
“Workshops gave us the chance to more hands-on science. We chose from an impressive array of topics, and two highlights for me were taking a picture with an electron microscope and isolating smelt DNA,” she noted.
“A big [part of the program] was the business project. In groups, we were to design a product that would prevent crime, build a prototype, and write a business plan that was complete and accurate enough to secure a loan,” added Gibb.
“The group dynamics were a challenge because everyone was accustomed to being a leader, and everyone had to learn how to compromise a bit more than they were used to.”
All three spent their work term at the Abitibi-Consolidated mill here, an experience Gibb said left her with a “sense of accomplishment.”
“My task was to research alternatives for dealing with the paper mill sludge, a by-product of the paper-making process. I had the opportunity to work independently and design my own project,” she said, adding she felt her project had been treated as “important,” and that her research and recommendations were “valuable.”
“It’s been an excellent program. I really enjoyed working with the girls and we hope to do it again,” said Doug Raoul of Abitibi-Consolidated, who also was on hand Tuesday night to receive a certificate on behalf of the mill.
Shad partners, such as Abitibi-Consolidated, usually contribute at least $4,000 towards the cost of tuition while students provide about $1,500 and the cost of return air fare. All of the student’s expenses are usually covered by the work-term salary.
A network of more than 6,400 Shad Valley alumni extends into important Canadian and international companies, which also can be a valuable future resource for the student.
Fort Frances Times
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