My name is Elise Stewart and I am a student at Bruce Peninsula District School. I have attended school on the peninsula since entering Kindergarten and am presently completing Grade 10. I have begun to see many opportunities for my future. BPDS has offered some unique courses, such as 3D Tech & Design where I designed on a 3D printer, and Green Industries where I learned about the many species of trees and helped to re-design the atrium space at BPDS.
I want to share about an experience I am about to have:
SHAD is a STEAM enrichment program, first established back in 1981 in Ontario, and has grown into a Canada-wide program. There are now 18 university campuses across Canada that run a month-long summer experience for students who have applied to be in the program. The application was very lengthy, requiring several essays about my passions, struggles, and aspirations. I compiled my community/school involvement, volunteerism, included my last report card, as well as a lengthy reference from a teacher. Mr. Kevin Kuipers, my current teacher, was kind enough to write this for me. He has been a great inspiration as he is always passionate about the projects we take part in. He is also heading up the Envirothon program that I am involved with this year.
After months of waiting for a response, I recently was given an offer and accepted to participate as a member of the York University SHAD program beginning in July!
I feel that my love of Science and Technology, my eagerness to meet new people, and my future aspirations will make my experiences away from home this summer very rewarding! I hope that after this experience, I will be more confident about the direction of my future in many ways. I also hope to make connections with other students coming from all over Canada that might last a lifetime.
I see my role over the next two years as one of an ambassador for the program. I would encourage peninsula students to apply and give them details of my experiences, so to motivate others to spread their wings.
Some potential activities that I have heard about and might take part in include forensic examination of blood spatter, learning how to rock climb, and solving real world problems with my team at York.
To help support the funding of my participation in SHAD York 2022 this coming July, I am looking for community groups or individuals who may be interested in contributing a monetary donation. The total $5,600 fee includes my stay at York University’s residence, meals, daily activity costs, and field trip funding. My family will plan to drive me to and from Toronto.
Feel free to reach out to me through the following email: stewmel@bwdsb.on.ca
Thank you,
Elise Stewart
