Waterloo Region District School Board

   The students, staff and parents of the Waterloo Region DSB have demonstrated their concern for the devastating situation in Haiti by raising $301,000.

Staff and students of Winston Churchill Public School have completed their annual sock drive for Out of the Cold. Led by custodian, Brendan Kavanaugh, a volunteer with Out of the Cold, the school collected 1287 pairs of socks. This year the school partnered with the Research and Technology Institute at the University of Waterloo to collect more socks. The combined total of pairs raised was 2424 and was presented to the coordinator of Out of the Cold at a school assembly at the end of January.

The Waterloo Region District School Board has responded to disaster relief efforts for Haiti and has launched a Board-wide fundraising campaign. Students and staff in the School Board will conduct a campaign named “Help for Haiti – Because We Care” over the next few days. Since the Federal Government will match all donations raised before February 12, fundraising efforts will focus on a January 26 deadline.

The shocking events surrounding the earthquake in Haiti last Tuesday have stunned the world. The loss of life and devastation in such a poor country is overwhelming and tragic.

As a large educational system and community, we are affected in many ways. A number of our staff, students and community members know people affected directly or indirectly and have the desire to help alleviate some of the suffering experienced by those in Haiti. There are many lessons for our students that can be related to the earthquake: compassion for the survivors, the importance of initiative and social responsibility, relief efforts and finding ways to help. Many teachable moments are occurring in schools as a result.

The Leadership Team at Silverheights PS organized a food drive at Halloween called "Halloween for Hunger." The fundraising effort helped to collect 1095 pounds of food for the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank. The school is focusing its fundraising efforts this year on local partnerships to help those in need in the community.

Southwood Secondary School's community-based club, Youth in Action, has helped 15 families in Cambridge this holiday season. Students and staff took on the role of providing gifts for the holiday season for local families in need. Each team's contribution totaled approximately $350. Family and Children's Services partnered with the school for the initiative and provided lists and suggestions to help with shopping for the families. Helping others in need in this Adopt-a-Family activity is indeed the spirit of the season.

Students and staff at Queensmount PS celebrated Random Act of Kindness Day by honouring Dave Kurek who began volunteering at the school 14 years ago.

Dave initiated a program at the school for appreciating the value of kindness in the students and the community. Dave’s mantra is a “RAK comes back”, meaning that a random act of kindness once performed not only does an incredible kindness for someone else, the effect of it ripples and eventually that RAK comes back to the original giver.

Students in Bert Udema's construction class at Forest heights CI, have made 134 wooden crosses, one for each Canadian soldier who has died in Afghanistan. On Remembrance Day, Edema and two of his students placed the crosses, each marked with a soldier's name, into the ground at the school as a tribute to the soldiers.

Congratulations to Elizabeth Ziegler PS for being awarded the Connected School Award. The award, part of the "Say Hi Day" campaign is given to a school who participated in the campaign to bring together the school community. As a reward, the school received a $500 cheque presented by Brenda Halloran, Mayor of Waterloo in an assembly at the school. The cheque will help provide for more student engagement activities at the school.

Highland PS was awarded the Silver Outstanding Achievement Award for their participation in the Hoops for Heart Program. They raised $6,719.40 to support the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Congratulations to all who participated!