Happy June to students, staff, and grads
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On behalf of the St. James-Assiniboia School Division board, West Ward trustees would like to send a big thank you to all the amazing St. James-Assiniboia School Division staff!
Schools and playgrounds are buzzing with excitement for the final countdown and the long-awaited arrival of warm weather.
June 7 was the Winnipeg Pride Parade, and our division took part once again. Trustees, students, teachers, parents, friends, and family walked loud and proud behind a student-painted school division bus. It was a heartwarming celebration of our diverse school community.
Supplied photo
(From left) SJASD board chair Tara Smith, West Ward trustees Cheryl Smukowich and Sandra Lethbridge, East Ward trustee Holly Hunter, and West Ward trustee Fiona Shiells at Winnipeg Pride Parade on June 7.
June is an exciting month for parents whose children will be moving up or walking across the stage at their graduation, signaling the end of their time in our division. We would like to congratulate all our graduating classes and all the best for their chosen next steps.
SJASD is proud to have 771 graduates crossing stages this month from five high schools, as well as the Stevenson-Britannia Adult Learning Centre.
This year marked the highest graduate attendance at our divisional powwow, with 72 out of 120 Indigenous graduates receiving their certificate of congratulations on May 28. There were lots of hoots and whistles when individual student names were announced. Students received a graduate tassel in the four sacred colours, a gift bag with a smudge bowl (made of clay and fired by students in our school division), as well as four sacred medicines and a medicine bag. Two graduates were celebrated as being the first in their families to graduate high school.
Congratulations to the following schools’ graduating students:
• Jameswood Alternative School, with 20 graduates;
• Stevenson Britannia Adult Learning Center, with 35 graduates;
• St. James Collegiate, with 120 graduates;
• John Taylor Collegiate, with 130 graduates;
• Westwood Collegiate; with 150 graduates; and
• Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate, which has 316 English and French track graduates.
Student scholarships and awards are provided through the St. James Scholarship Foundation and the St. James-Assiniboia School Division. The foundation is a registered charity with volunteer board made up of SJASD alumni, a trustee, and a finance and communications employees that was formed in 1938 for the purpose of giving encouragement to and providing awards for outstanding merit, scholarship, and character development. SJASD students are eligible for foundation scholarship awards.
The Scholarship Foundation provides approximately 63 awards totalling $20,550 across all schools with most at the Grade 12 level, but some at elementary and middle schools. They endeavour to increase this amount every year. All donations are tax deductible. Visit sjasd.ca/AboutUs/Scholarship for more information.
Whether celebrating Pride, graduation, or the conclusion of another great year, happy June to all our students, staff, and grads.
Sandra Lethbridge, Fiona Shiells, and Cheryl Smukowich are West Ward SJASD trustees.