Ottawa Carleton District School Board

Erika Avellaneda, a student at Woodroffe High School, designed a dress made entirely of duct tape, earning her a spot as a top-five finalist in a North American scholarship competition!

Every year, the RBC Spirit of the Capital Youth Awards acknowledge and feature the diverse ways young people are shaping their communities across our city. This year, seven recipients from the OCDSB have been recognized for turning awareness into action and inspiring others to become agents of change.

Students and staff at Elgin Street Public School collaborated to build a digital library of student-created books on equity and diversity.

Lisgar Collegiate Institute’s student musicians ended the school year with innovative virtual performances and a physically distanced, masked rehearsal at Brantwood Park, where they performed a new, commissioned piece by composer Cait Nishimura.

A team of student journalists at OCV Secondary have been recognized with a 2021 RBC Spirit of the Capital Youth Award in the Strength Through Diversity category. The school’s online newspaper, The Virtual Voice, has shared diverse ideas, experiences and perspectives from over 180 student contributors.

The Henry Larsen Elementary School community created a display to honour the lives of the 215 children who were found buried near a residential school in Kamloops, B.C., and an e-card to support those affected by the horrible attack on a Muslim family in London, Ontario.

In honour of National Indigenous History Month, the Black Excellence Club and Feminism Club at Colonel By Secondary School, the IDEA Club at Cairine Wilson Secondary School, and the Student Council at Lisgar Collegiate Institute, together with many other volunteer student contributors, created a set of resources to learn about and celebrate Indigenous knowledge, role models, and ways of knowing.

Canterbury High School students Danika H. and Valentina M. won first place in the My Money, My Future: Canadian Financial Education Challenge. These inventive students created a board game that teaches kids about financial literacy and entrepreneurship by challenging them to build a debt-free bakery.

Lisgar Collegiate Institute student Albert Nitu has been selected to receive an $80,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship to study anatomy and cell biology at McGill University this fall.

The R7A class at Featherston Drive Public School was recognized with the First Nations Caring Society's 2021 Spirit Bear Award. The students will donate the $500 cash prize in support of the Mikinakoos Children's Fund.

The Make a Wish Foundation recently granted a very special wish to a student at Centennial Public School. Elaan D., a grade 5 student in the Physical Support Program (PSP), has received an accessible music station designed by school staff, so that he can experience music in a fun and interactive way.

A.Y. Jackson Secondary School student Sabrina Button has been selected to receive a $100,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship to study engineering at Queen’s University this fall.

Glebe Collegiate Insititute and Lisgar Collegiate Institute will represent Ontario at the 2021 Reach for the Top National Championships, an academic quiz competition for Canadian high school students. The Glebe Collegiate Institute team took home the title of Provincial Champions at the recent Provincial Finals.

From stepping inside an alien spaceship to exploring environmental issues facing our planet, students at Osgoode Township High School are designing innovative and immersive virtual experiences.

Earl of March Secondary School student Tasneem A. has been recognized as a 2021 Loran Scholar, receiving Canada's largest undergraduate merit award.

Pinecrest Public School has been recognized in the 2021 Indigo Love of Reading Earth Day Challenge for their environmental initiatives and commitment to student learning.

Grade 4 students at W. Erskine Johnston Public School are using experiential learning to help others in their community and beyond. The students launched Made2Help, a social enterprise that designs, produces, and sells masks to donate proceeds to community partners.

Two grade 10 students at Earl of March Secondary School have launched a series of online concerts for seniors at long-term care homes, retirement residences, and hospitals.

Every February is recognized as Black History Month in Canada. Throughout the past month, students across the OCDSB have been participating in learning opportunities to celebrate Black culture and history and learn about the achievements and significant contributions of Black Canadians.

The winter season has provided OCDSB students with many opportunities to learn outdoors. Here are just a few examples of how students are exploring the outdoors, participating in winter sports, and using the snow as a canvas for their creativity.

Students at OCV Elementary took virtual learning to new heights as they spoke with a NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station.

Ryan Rodrigs, a student at Colonel By Secondary School, decided to harness technology to help people stay safe and stay informed during the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, Ryan launched the YUNAL COVID-19 app, which provides safety alerts, resources and updates related to COVID-19.

Students across the OCDSB used their creativity to bring holiday cheer to senior citizens in our community. Through an initiative led by iGenOttawa and The Good Companions, classes at several schools have created holiday cards, letters, artwork, and ornaments to be shared with seniors who will be spending the holiday season on their own this year.

Last month, students, staff and families at Hillcrest High School once again participated in the Movember high school challenge to raise awareness and funds in support of men’s health. The school raised $6,143 for the initiative ⁠–⁠ ranking 8th in Canada out of 252 participating schools!

The halls of Merivale High School are home to a new mural that shares a powerful message of belonging and equity. In November, students in the Social Changemakers club, in partnership with Youth Ottawa and community artist Hasina Kamanzi, installed a mural entitled “Representation Matters.”

The Diverse Student Union at Nepean High School is a student club where Black, Asian, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) work together to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion along with their fellow white allies. The club offers a safe space for students to learn from one another, share their stories and cultures, and promote social justice and equity.

A Goulbourn Middle School student’s illustration graced the pages of J.K. Rowling's new book, The Ickabog. Maya V.’s drawing was one of 34 illustrations by children that were selected to be included in the book.

This month, we welcomed students back to back to school. Although this school year looks different than usual, our staff and students are finding creative ways to safely learn, collaborate and connect with each other. From outdoor learning initiatives to online field trips, here are a few highlights from our classrooms – both in person and virtual – over the past few weeks.

From inspirational messages to music videos, OCDSB schools have found innovative ways to celebrate the Class of 2020 this spring. Watch the creative videos in our Capping Off 2020 playlist!

The Lisgar Collegiate Institute Flute Ensemble has kept the music going – virtually. The students recorded and edited a performance video that earned them three awards at the virtual Kiwanis Music Festival!

OCDSB Student Trustee Prasith Wijeweera has won the first ever Ontario Public Student Trustee Scholarship.

Through their generosity, the Half Moon Bay PS School Council and families raised $13,829 to support the Barrhaven Food Cupboard, which provides food assistance to families in need in the local community.

"To the Class of 2020: It'll all be okay again, you'll see," sings Grade 12 student Ana-Paola Solano Mejías. The Earl of March Secondary School student wrote an original song for fellow graduating students, which looks to brighter days ahead and reminds students that they will get through this together.

Whether it’s celebrating frontline workers, sharing messages of support for students, or joining in virtual dance parties – our OCDSB community is keeping connected by making creative videos. Watch them in our #OCDSBCares playlist.

Lisgar Collegiate teacher Emmanuelle Deaton has won a 2020 EdTech Digest Award for her work as co-founder of the company, Hatch Coding.

Woodroffe High School staff are working to help residents and staff of Ottawa long-term care home Carlingview Manor, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Families and staff at Fallingbrook Community Elementary School are stepping up to the challenge. Every week, the school invites participants to get involved in a fun challenge, such as staying active, sharing favourite books, and showing creativity. The submissions are turned into creative videos that keep the school community connected.

This month, the OCDSB has been helping students continue with their learning by distributing computers and Internet to families. For students in the English Literacy Development (ELD) program at Sawmill Creek Elementary School, these devices provide opportunities to connect with their school community in this challenging time.