by Sandy Kuntsi
After a summer full of recreation, road trips and relaxation, the Manitoulin Mustangs are back at school. MSS is welcoming more than one new teacher to the school this year: Ms. Becks and Ms. Cheng.
With the start of school come extracurricular opportunities. The girls’ basketball, boys’ volleyball, x-country and golf teams have already started tryouts for the upcoming season. The Rainbow Rights Gay-Straight Alliance had their first meeting on Friday, September 9 to start planning their year.
SHARE/Go Green is planning a trip to WE Day Toronto on September 28. The group will leave MSS on September 27 and drive down to Toronto. WE Day is a full day of speakers and performers, focused on empowering and inspiring youth. Participating schools and groups earn tickets by helping in their local or global communities. In the past year, SHARE has raised $6,500 towards the five pillars of community development in Kenya, collected over 2000 batteries to divert waste and raise money for UNICEF, collected hundreds of canned goods for the Manitoulin Food bank, organized Valentines for the whole student body, spearheaded the $500 donation to Oxfam for Famine Relief, coordinated the Sacred Circle program, and Give Where We Live workshop, contributed $1,000 to the Manitoulin Family Resources, along with many other successful events. The SHARE group travelling to WE Day this year is hosting a fundraiser bake sale on Friday, September 15.
On September 21, Kenjgewin Teg Educational Institute is hosting the annual Fall Harvest. This event will be held at the M’Chigeeng powwow grounds. The Fall Harvest gives attendees the opportunity to gain cultural knowledge about fall harvesting activities through traditional learning, a cooperative learning space, and the use of traditional healing tactics. Many MSS students and teachers will participate in this event.
On September 14, staff and students will participate in Stand Up Against Bullying Day. The halls of MSS will be full of pink in support of victims of bullying. Stand Up Against Bullying Day began in Nova Scotia where secondary school students Travis Price and David Shepherd arranged for dozens of their classmates to wear pink shirts in support of another student who had been bullied for wearing pink. The province of Nova Scotia declared subsequently declared the second Thursday at the start of every school year to be Stand Up Against Bullying Day.
The Students’ Council is accepting applications for grade reps until Thursday, September 14. The grade reps help Students’ Council make the year memorable and help out around the school.
With this busy start to the school year the Manitoulin Mustangs are set up for success in studies, sports and other school groups. ‘Til next time, stay golden, Mustangs.
