This coming September, Miramichi Valley and James M. Hill Memorial High Schools will be "in motion". The two city schools will benefit this fall from a health and lifestyle promotion initiative called "in motion". School District 16, with the Horizon Health Network and the City of Miramichi, is a founding member of the local branch of this national movement whose aim is to promote healthy and active lifestyles amongst targeted groups in the general population.
In an ArtSmarttm project grade six students at North and South Esk Elementary School are receiving instruction from visual artists as a means of helping them understand character development, storyline and setting as they write short stories which they will develop into brief animated films. Miss Gwyneth Mitchell, a graphic artists, works with the students in the morning to assist with character development and storyboard. Mrs. Jayshree Rai works with the students in watercolour painting for the development of the story's setting in the afternoon. Teacher, Mr. A.
A display of culinary skills took place March 20th at Miramichi Valley High School as students from four schools competed in the annual District 16 Culinary Arts competition which this year was a regional event. Chefs Graham Tricket and Ryan Goldie watched closely as the nine participants peeled, sliced, diced and mixed then boiled, steamed, fried and baked their way to a delicious looking three course meal of salad, chicken and apple cake. The preparations were judged on taste and presentation with first place going to Cheryl Walosik of Bathurst High School.
Organizers of this year's District 16 Elementary School Science Fair, held March 18th, were impressed with the scientific quality of the work presented. In recent years district teachers of science have been working towards helping students understand and apply scientific methodology to investigate and find answers for their curiosities about everyday phenomena. At the fair students showed through the diversity and quality of their projects, they understand what science is and how it works.
Singled out for their work were the following prize winners.
School District 16 will be hosting two science fairs in March. The Elementary School Fair take place on March 18th from 9:00AM - 11:30AM at Gretna Green Elementary School. The Middle and High School Fair will take place on March 25th from 9:00AM - 11:30AM at Harkins Middle School. Good luck to all the particpants.
The District 16 Education Council held its annual dinner with the Parent School Support Committees at the Kin Centre, Miramichi West, March 9th, hosted by DEC Chairperson, Patricia Lee. The theme for the evening was "Attitude is Everything!". The more than 100 guests were addressed during the dinner by Ruth Wilson, E-Learning Specialist, from the NB Department of Education. Ms. Wilson outlined profiles of 21st century learners and the social and technical environment in which they live.
Those attending the NB School District 16's 2010 dinner for the District Education Council and the District 16 Parent School Support Committees March 9th were able to mark the Great Big Crunch event which takes place in schools in District 16 and across Canada on March 11th. The Great Big Crunch is a project of FoodShare TM to help children learn about healthy eating and local and global food systems. To view a larger image visit "The Great Big Crunch" and follow directions given in the picture's caption.
Students from JMH and MVHS leave for the Netherlands today, Friday February 26th, as part of a collaborative partnership that they began establishing with St. Canisius School in Almelo last year. District 16 hosted the St. Canisius students in Miramichi in October, 2009. The students are ccompanied by teachers Mary Anderson, Ann O'Neill-MacDonnell, Brandon Savage and Rick Hayward. They will be taking a tour of London Saturday before arriving in Amsterdam later that evening.
Antarctica is getting warmer. The potential changes to the world represent a challenge. Film maker and explorer, Mark Terry, who recently spent a week in District 16 visiting schools to show and talk about his newly released documentary film, The Antarctica Challenge, was very emphatic on this point. The film, shot during the Antarctic summer of early 2009, documents the effects of global warming on this most southerly continent, as accelerated glacier melt raises sea levels and animal behaviours change due to food distribution.
School District 16 held its third annual Creative Use of Technology in Education (CUTE) Awards Thursday evening, February 18th, 2010. The awards were held to recognize and celebrate the innovative and creative ways students and teachers make use of technology to enhance learning. Special guests with experience and expertise in various aspects of technology and media were invited to introduce the five finalists in thirteen categories and to ask "the envelope please" before announcing the award recipients.
