NEWS RELEASE
ALGOMA DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
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The appointment of Algoma District School Board’s first Indigenous student trustee was approved at Tuesday night’s board meeting. Katelyn Wildgoose will join Molly Taylor and Sarah Fisher as student trustee for the remainder of the 18/19 school year.
Katelyn was recently elected as chair for the newly established ADSB Northern Indigenous Youth Council (NIYC). She is currently a Grade 12 student at W. C Eaket Secondary School in Blind River and she resides on Mississauga First Nation. She was part of her school’s student senate last year, and felt that most schools could improve Indigenous inclusion in their plan to make their schools better.
In her application for the position of NIYC chair, Katelyn shared some of her thoughts and plans. “My goal for this year is to ensure all Indigenous students feel welcomed and included in their school in an authentic way. While attending the Indigenous Student Leadership Committee, I saw the statistics from the survey that was conducted last year, and it showed that some schools, mine included, have significant room for growth. I believe that it is our job as the Northern Indigenous Youth Council to make our voices heard. We all should work together to make our school environment more inclusive and to celebrate our culture. It is our job as leaders to make our school environment a safe place for indigenous students, and to make everyone feel welcomed.”
Marek McLeod has been elected as NIYC vice chair and as such, will become chair and Indigenous student trustee next year. Marek is currently a Grade 11 student at Superior Heights CVS. He is also a member of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council. He is registered with Thessalon First Nation and has been involved with the culture his whole life.
At the Oct. 30 board meeting, ADSB approved changes to the Student Trustee Policy to move from two student trustees to three student trustees. Student trustees have been and will continue to be elected from ADSB secondary schools. The Student Senate will elect two student trustees and the ADSB Northern Indigenous Youth Council will elect one Indigenous student trustee with final approval being determined by the Algoma District School Board.
Student trustees represent the voice of students in decisions about education in Algoma, and help keep students informed about important decisions that affect them. The purpose of electing student trustees to the board is to encourage and provide student leadership development and involvement in public service; to provide for the representation of student interests, to bring a student perspective to the deliberations of the board, and to support strategies being implemented in Ontario schools.
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