Creating opportunities for students to learn outside of the school is a key part of our commitment to supporting student growth.
Later today, 27 of our students head to the University of Toronto to represent Greenwood at the 45th annual Southern Ontario Model UN (SOMA). This three-day simulation enables our students to interact with over 550 student delegates from various schools throughout Ontario and provides a forum for them to explore a wide range of contemporary international issues.
While Greenwood has participated in SOMA for many years, we are always looking for additional experiential opportunities that will help our students venture further. For example, earlier this spring, our Grade 9 Dramatic Arts students participated in a 15-hour program at Armstrong Acting Studios, where they had the ability to develop authentic on-camera performance skills. This weekend, our Under-20 Girls and Boys’ Rugby teams will be in Ottawa to take part in the CAIS national tournament. Over the past few months, our students have represented the school in the Grade 7 Techno Cup Challenge bridge building competition, debated in the Confederation Cup and crunched numbers and solved problems at the ISOMA Math Olympics. Our hope is that all of these experiences help our students build confidence and see themselves as capable of taking on new challenges.
On another note, you may have been made aware of a recent CBC news story about Ontario Pioneer Camp, which is where our Grade 9 Winter Outdoor Education program takes place. The story outlines recent allegations in which Pioneer’s summer camp staff claim they were made to sign a code of conduct which forbade them to discuss “homosexual or lesbian sexual conduct” with campers. The school takes this matter seriously and is endeavouring to learn more about these allegations. Over the years, we have worked actively to build an inclusive school community and would not want to be affiliated with an organization that does not share these values.