March 30th, 2016

Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School (WODSS) had the unique privilege of having Ontario’s Minister of Education visit their school to talk more about the Free Tuition announcement the Government of Ontario announced earlier this month.

Before the Minister Liz Sandals addressed the media and guests, Miss Jackson’s Grade 11 TV Studio Production class had the opportunity to interview her for the school’s very own news broadcast. The class focuses on TV studio specific communications and video production for various types of on-screen productions, in turn, these students were able to apply their classroom learning to a real-life scenario. In order to prepare WODSS news anchor Samantha for the Minister’s interview, the class had to research the New Ontario Student Grant program, its new implementation process and the criteria students need to know when applying for the grant. From behind the scenes to in front of the camera, students directed the whole broadcast production with the guidance of their teacher. What a cool experience!

Following the student interview, Minister Sandals met with WRDSB Director of Education, John Bryant, Senior Superintendent of Student Achievement and Well-Being, Lila Read, Chairperson of the Board, Kathleen Woodcock, Superintendent of Business Services and Treasurer of the Board, Matthew Gerard, and WODSS Superintendent of Student Achievement and Well-Being, Elaine Ranney, and local media to give a more in-depth description of the student grant program logistics and answered any questions they had.

In case you missed it, starting in September 2017, students from low-income families, looking to embark on post-secondary education, will be able to have either all or more of their school expenses covered by the new grant. The Ontario government is breaking down the financial barriers that will help more than 150,000 eligible low- and middle-income students, making this the largest investment in Ontario’s history.

Beth Bodkin, the principal at WODSS, is excited by this announcement and the doors it opens for her students, “the cost of post-secondary education can be daunting to students and families. This innovative initiative allows our society to benefit from our very talented youth, by offering them educational opportunities that would otherwise be beyond their reach.”

For more information about the New Ontario Student Grant, visit the Ontario Ministry of Finance website for the Improving Access to Postsecondary Education breakdown.

Thank you to the WODSS administration staff, and Miss Jackson and her Grade 11 class for allowing us to take over their TV studio for a few hours!

 

The WODSS Grade 11 class stands with Minister Sandals after a great interview.

The WODSS Grade 11 class stands with Minister Sandals after a great interview.

 

Behind the scenes of the interview - this is serious business! Great job, students!

Behind the scenes of the interview – this is serious business! Great job, students!

 

Our senior staff with the Honourable Liz Sandals.

Our senior staff with the Honourable Liz Sandals.