Students, parents and teachers at École Glenbrook Middle School came together earlier this month to explore the community’s cultural heritage at an intergenerational potluck.
The evening event was held on May 18. Families and staff brought traditional food and activities for everyone to try as a way of teaching others about the unique heritage of the students and staff who attend and work at the school.
There was henna, a dye used to decorate women in Indian, Middle Eastern and African cultures, and aboriginal artifacts on display provided by Qayqayt First Nations Chief Rhonda Larabee and Bertha Lansdowne, the district’s aboriginal education coordinator.
“It was a fun night and we had staff, students, families and community members in attendance. There was lots of wonderful food and conversation,” Ronda Field, Glenbrook’s PAC co-chair, wrote in an email.
Sign up for band camp
Have a budding musician in the family? Send them to the NWSS band camp this summer.
The three-week program is open to middle and high school students of all skill levels. The camp runs from July 3 to 21 and concludes with a concert at Queen’s Park, and students can participate in as much or as little of the camp as they want (although the price of $165 per student remains the same).
There are three classes offered: beginner band, for students with one year or less experience with their instrument (this one is for newbies); advanced band, for students with one year or more experience; and jazz band, for students with minimum one year experience playing their instrument.
“The goal is to give students a place to make music and friends over the summer break, while giving middle school students a chance to make a connection to the high school – where they can meet some of the older students and teachers and make connections,” read a poster.
Download the form here and return it to the office at New Westminster Secondary School with a cheque for $165 made out to NWSS music auxiliary. Mark attn: Steve Clements on the envelope. Any questions can be directed to Clements at [email protected].
Learn about firefighting
Maybe music isn’t the right fit for your child, but what about firefighting?
The City of New Westminster has extended its deadline for its annual youth firefighter program to Friday, June 2, which runs July 4 to 8 this year. The week-long course, open to students in Grade 10 to 12, is run by the Justice Institute of B.C., the New Westminster school district, New Westminster Fire Department and the City of New Westminster.
The program gives students a glimpse into what it’s like to be a new recruit attending the fire academy. There will be classroom work, workplace experience and live fire combat. They will also be trained on personal protective equipment, basic firefighting skills, first aid, fire prevention and auto extraction.
Students are expected to be on time and ready to go every day starting at 8:30 a.m. The course is run out of the Queensborough fire hall on Ewen Avenue. Interested students must: be genuinely interested in firefighting; currently in Grade 10, 11 or 12; in good standing with a C+ average; have a positive attendance record at school; be physically and mentally fit; and have no criminal record.
Students will need to fill out an application form (find it here) and submit a resumé and a reference letter from a teacher or community member.
For more information go to www.newwestyouth.ca.
