Submitted by Emily Cameron
November was “Heart to Home” month at BPDS and we focused our attention on initiatives close to our hearts and which keep us cozy, full, safe, and warm.
For the month of December, Secondary Students council will help manage the school food drive. Staff and students are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items and help support this wonderful cause for our community. Students Council representatives Chloe Cameron and Blake Hellyer (pictured right) in front of our festive Christmas tree under which we will store the donated food items.
Our Eco-Schools program is also working to organize a clothing swap for secondary students in the coming weeks. Participants would bring in clean items of clothing in good repair that they no longer need or want, and these items are organized for redistribution by the Eco-Team. Students who donate to the swap will be given vouchers to exchange for other items in the swap. Any unclaimed items will be offered for sale to other students or will be donated to a local thrift store. The team hopes to have a wide range of styles and sizes available for exchange – Panthers, start gathering your items!
The Festive Feast will happen on Wednesday, December 21, 2022. This is a wonderful BPDS tradition which allows all students and staff to celebrate the holiday season with a festive turkey meal, complete with all the fixings. Jen Cameron – our council teacher representative – said, “Thank you to the Community Bottle Drive Fund for making this possible and a free event for all BPDS students.”
Early in November, Elementary students learned about root vegetables and cooked squash together. They learned how to prepare this amazing vegetable and then got to sample their delicious squash dishes.
On November 11, the entire school went to the cenotaph to participate in the community Remembrance Day ceremony. Students reflected on the sacrifice Canadians made during previous wars, as well as ongoing efforts of our military personnel. Every student was polite and respectful; we are proud of our students for being ambassadors of the school.
Many students were able to reflect this thoughtfulness in their Remembrance Day posters, poems, and artwork, submitted to the Legion Remembrance Day competition. Participating students demonstrated a lot of care in crafting these pieces. Results will be posted in a later submission.
On November 24, Jordan Hamilton from the Armed Forces came from Barrie to visit the BPDS Careers class to talk to students about rewarding opportunities by giving service and helping others. In fact, so far this year we have had visits from RCMP officers, politicians (namely Alex Ruff), and a variety of Colleges and Universities. Many of the discussions have been about careers that support communities and people in need.
Later in December, we are expecting a visit from Raymond Francis, an engineer who worked on one of the Mars Rover projects. We are excited to continue providing students with opportunities to hear from a variety of professionals and encourage students to consider many pathways as they start to think about their future aspirations.
Also on November 24, a group of secondary students from BPDS traveled to the Bluewater Education Center to participate in a board-wide student forum, led by the organization ‘unlearn’. Students were organized into groups with representatives from each secondary school in the board, where they had an opportunity to discuss issues that were relevant to students. Students were excited to have this opportunity to share their experiences and ideas with others. The goal is to establish a student group at BPDS to help carry on the work that was started at the forum.
The Secondary Student’ Council had a clothing drive for BPDS active wear, and so did the Grade 7/8 classes. Staff, students, and community members could order BPDS wear and support our Student Council and the Grade 7/8 year end trip. Maybe you might get a lucky piece of BPDS wear this Christmas in order to keep you warm and comfy! If we keep getting as much snow as we did the weekend of November 19, we are all going to need to stay warm while we are active this winter! If you missed out on these great opportunities, there will be a second round of sales in the spring.
Speaking of being active, the Jr. and Sr. Boys Volleyball seasons came to an end. The Senior Boys’ Volleyball team had an incredible season, finishing in the top 3 in league play! The boys showed a lot of heart and were extremely competitive against the largest schools in Bluewater. They were mere points away from qualifying for CWOSSA championships this year. Coach Myles said, “I am trying to get the Grade 12 boys to return for a victory lap to go make it to CWOSSA next year. Great work boys!”
The Junior Boys’ Volleyball team was full of enthusiastic and dedicated players. The majority of players had never played in a game setting but always showed up giving it their all. Coach Abby and Coach Clark are extremely proud of their improvement and thankful for all the laughs throughout the season. Way to go Panthers!
There was also an Athletics Sub fundraiser held on December 13. Students were able to order subs made by our local Foodland in order to help raise funds for Athletics. Over $250 was raised for Athletic equipment. Emily Cameron said, “A huge shout out to Foodland for making this fundraiser possible. We appreciate all that you do for our community!”
Things are happening in the drama department at BPDS! Auditions are just wrapping up for our spring musical production. Tara Stanton has a difficult task ahead to determine the casting for the show – which she says, “will be revealed later!” She would like to remind you to, “mark your calendars for the end of April, as another BPDS Drama Club production is in the works.”
In order to fund the production, members of the Drama Club were raising money by selling First Aid Kits. The kits come in a variety of sizes, good for the car, your family, or your fur babies! We would like to thank the community for their generosity in our first round of sales – we sold over $4,000 in kits! We’ll do another round of sales in the spring, so if you didn’t get a chance to order this time, keep your eye out for the next opportunity.
Secondary Students council held a Winter Wonderland Dance on Thursday December 1. It was a perfect way to bring in the holidays with music, pizza, and a lot of dancing to keep warm.
We have many upcoming events that fit the “Heart to Home” theme and will be sure to publish details about these wonderful events in the new year. Staff and Students at BPDS and St. Edmunds would like to wish all our families a safe and happy holiday break. We are looking forward to seeing everyone back in 2023 to continue our Eco-Schools adventures together.
