ALCDSB Student Trustees take Oath of Office at October Board Meeting

For the first time ever, the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board (ALCDSB) welcomes two Student Trustees for the 2020/2021 school year.

According to ALCDSB, this is the first year that there will be two Student Trustees to represent the student population at the Board level. In 2019, the Ministry of Education made revisions, mandating that the minimum number of student trustees on Ontario school boards be two.

At the October 27, 2020 Board Meeting, Ella Hsu of Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic High School (Kingston) and Mikaela Dewey of St. Theresa Catholic Secondary School (Belleville) took their Oath of Office, being sworn in as student trustees, read a release from ALCDSB, dated Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020.

“The voice of students provides valuable insight to important conversations at the Board and Committee meetings,” said Terry Shea, Chair of the Board.

ALCSB said that the Student Trustee makes a significant contribution to the school board, representing all elementary and secondary students in the system.

The Student Trustees attend monthly Committee and Board Meetings and other commitments throughout the school year, according to the release. The Student Trustee will also be part of the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association, which is the voice of students across Ontario.

At Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic High School, Ella Hsu is a Grade 12 student and strives to familiarize herself with students from various backgrounds and interests, according to the school board. She does this by actively participating in many sports and clubs, such as robotics, band and the eco-team.

“As a student trustee, I will regularly communicate with the Student Senate, informing the Board of issues important to and affecting students of the Board,” Hsu said in her application letter for the position of student trustee. “I will strive not to communicate my own ideas, but to gather and condense the ideas and wishes of the Board’s students and communicate them to the Board of Trustees.”

At St. Theresa Catholic Secondary School, Mikaela Dewey is a Grade 12 student who is passionate about her faith, while remaining committed to academics, sports, clubs, student council, volunteer work at a local retirement residence and her part time job at the School Uniform Shop, according to the release.

“[The position of] student trustee is a way for me to support all students who are finding their voice and to ensure that all individuals are represented equally,” Dewey said in her application letter for the position of student trustee.