One of the best parts of being in a K-12 school is having our older and younger kids build friendships that are rooted in storytelling and inter-grade literacy.

Don’s admiration for the School and especially the teaching excellence has grown over the years since Anders joined in Grade 5, and through his giving he supports Head’s Initiatives, Outdoor Learning Projects, and Scholarships and Bursaries. [. . .] Don adds that he also donates because he’s a strong believer in the transformative power of education, “I think that's where society advances. With education, our kids and grandkids can have a better quality of life. And hopefully it can help them think critically, become wiser, and also more tolerant.”

"What drew us in was the global application of the project. Since we have honeybee farms so close to our campus, learning  that they could also be found in South Africa, and that they faced similar issues was very interesting. In other preliminary research, learning about the economic benefits and support honey farming could provide for strengthening quality of life was something that drew us in. Knowing that the premises of this project could be seen only a few kilometers away, and the initiative supporting not only the environment but also people’s wellbeing was key in our choice to take on this project."

At STS our volunteers play an active and vital role in not only helping make our School a success but also through fostering the strong sense of community and caring felt at the school. With the theme of this year's National Volunteer Week being "Empathy in Action" we are sharing some of the many ways that our volunteers, whose selfless dedication, awareness, caring, and commitment, help foster the incredible feeling of community present at STS.

STS Middle and Senior School Speech students have been enjoying great success this year, winning various medals, trophies, and awards including placing second in Impromptu Speaking at the World's Debating and Public Speaking Championships on April 17. 

On Friday, April 22, Grade 9 students participated in Model United Nations and had the opportunity to engage in discourse with one another to discuss international issues. This year the topic was the ongoing Ukraine refugee crisis. In the morning they were joined via Zoom by retired Canadian Forces Major-General David Fraser who served as a NATO operations commander in Afghanistan. He spoke with the students about NATO and how militaries work with refugees abroad.

Creating this art piece was truly eye opening for me. It was a remarkable hands-on experience, with many opportunities to reflect on the beauty of our campus and School buildings. It helped me visualize the School with a new perspective, and I hope it will help the STS community gain a new perspective of the School as well; hence the name “STS in Perspective”. 

On Thursday, February 24, 26 STS Grade 11 students accompanied by three STS faculty met at the Calgary International airport for the 2022 B.C. Universities Tour. Over the course of three days students toured multiple universities including Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, the University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus (UBC-O) in Kelowna, the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Capilano University in Vancouver, Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, and the University of Victoria (UVIC) in Victoria. 

Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School hosted its first Innovation Fair on Saturday, March 12, 2022. Roughly 200 people were in attendance to support, celebrate, and learn more about our Design, Technology, and Innovation programming which is truly second to none. Guests were struck by the degree of expertise of our students with design thinking, the design cycle and technological skills; the breadth and depth of the program, and the degree to which we involve and leverage industry partners in our projects.

Everyone loves cartoons, whether it be a cartoon strip like Calvin and Hobbes, a television show like the Simpsons, or even a new Disney/Pixar feature film, but what is the process of making a cartoon, and what goes on in the mind of the cartoonist as they are creating their cartoons? On Thursday, February 17, our Grade 9 students were joined by professional Editorial Cartoonist Fred Curatolo to find out.

On March 3-6, three STS students, Sophia L. ’23, Raza S. ’23 and Alia N. ’22 participated in the IISPSC which was hosted by King’s Edgehill School in Halifax, Nova Scotia; however, because of COVID-19, the tournament took place virtually. This year, six countries, 42 schools and 120 students participated making this tournament the largest of its kind in the world. Three students only can enter from North American schools and international schools are represented by six students. Each student must choose three categories to perform from a total nine.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek and local female councillors emerged in my sight, and as I gradually acknowledged their difficulties, obstacles, efforts, and excellence in leadership, it  carried over to my determination to become one of the 15 student councillors selected in the “She Governs” event.

Each year recent STS graduates come together to share their stories about the rewards, surprises, and challenges of university life with our Grade 12 students. This year ten young alumni from around the world were brought together virtually for STS’s Tales from Undergrad Years session on February 17, 2022. Grade 12 students filled the C.A. Smith Arts Centre to listen to each alumna/alumnus guest speaker share their unique and varied experiences as freshman.

As many of you may know, February is Black History Month! This month is all about recognizing, amplifying, and celebrating Black voices both in the past and the present. Three Grade 11 students, Bolu K. ’23, Anaya T. ’23, and Tanusri B. ’23, have created a working group to share some of the messages and themes of Black History Month with the school community.

On Friday February 11, STS held a virtual craft party, part of STS's 50th Anniversary celebrations. With February being a month of kindness, friendship, and love, students and families had the opportunity to attend this fun and interactive evening hosted by Ms. Forgay, STS teacher, and Mr. Uzick, Community Engagement Coordinator for the 50^th Anniversary of STS.

Students of Mr. Saccucci and Mr. Peterson’s Grade 10 English classes have been focused on a new unit, ‘Words Have Power’, the focal points being The Book Thief, The Zookeeper’s Wife, and Life is Beautiful, each a key example of historical moments when words had power.

The theme this year is “February and Forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day.” I find this a very valuable statement. Take the time to learn about the many accomplishments and important stories of the Black people of Canada. The Government of Canada website includes lots of information to get started with. After discovering these, keep them in your heart not only during this month but remember them every day! 

Last week our Grade 11 and 12 students had the pleasure of hearing from 17 alumni at our annual “Spartan Talk” sessions. Held in a virtual format, students had the opportunity to attend one of four alumni panels; Allied Health, STEM, Fine Arts and Humanities, and Law, Finance and Business. Alumni shared with students their journey from STS into their current roles.

At Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS), we seek to create an environment that encourages engaging and empowered learning, while prioritizing future-ready skills for our students. Through transformative spaces such as DaVinci Studios, Maker Spaces, and Innovations Studios, we can create programming that achieves this goal across all three divisions at STS.