May is full of new activities and exciting events as several groups in MSS work together to create a fun end of year.
The SHARE/Go Green committee has been working very hard for months to organize WE Day Manitoulin, and their work is finally paying off. On Friday, May 11, WE Day Manitoulin will be taking place at MSS. The event is for Grade 7-12s across Manitoulin and will give them the opportunity to be inspired to help take action for social causes in their communities. WE Day Manitoulin will feature recognized artists and speakers including Ashley Rose Murphy, Errol Lee and his son Shay, Danny Lamb, Patrick Voo, Grace Bakker, Em Jordan, and A! Persona as well as local performers and social justice workers Bryce Mastelko, Ashley Quackenbush, Jessica Jordison, Ellie Maxwell and Marnie Brown. There will be a morning session from 10 am to 12 noon that will be for the Grade 7s and 8s from every elementary school on the Island. In the afternoon, the MSS student body and guests from other secondary schools will be participating in the second session. The theme of WE Day Manitoulin is poverty on both a local and global scale, acknowledging and encouraging the SHARE Brick by Brick Campaign, while also allowing students to come up with their own ways to battle poverty in their schools and communities.
Ashley Rose Murphy, a motivational speaker and WE Ambassador, said, “I think WE Day raises awareness of the issues facing rural communities both here at home (particularly in our Indigenous communities) and in Third World countries. This heightened awareness spurs the youth who attend WE Days to find ways to help. Whether that comes in the form of fundraising to build a school, drill a well, buy educational supplies, or pay for healthcare. It also serves as a way for youth to hear what other youth are doing to help and to know that youth can make a tangible difference, even a young child.”
Four MSS students travelled to Cambrian College in Sudbury from May 9-10 for the Stand Up for Mental Health conference. Pierre Debassige, Tyson Otosquaiob, Avery Byce and Larissa Chevrette attended the Rainbow District School Board Student Senate organized event to learn about ways to improve their school. The conference featured keynote speakers Ashley Rose Murphy, Wali Shah and Ian Tyson as well as breakout room presenters Will Morin, Ryan Benoit and Connor LaRocque.
Students’ Council is still selling tickets for their Masquerade Spring Formal on May 25. Tickets are $8 per person and $12 per couple. The dance will be running from 7-11, giving students four hours to dance with their friends to the DJ stylings of Blake Debassige. On May 23, the Grade 8 students from various elementary schools across Manitoulin will be attending a Grade 8 Shadow Day that allows them to get an idea of how the MSS class schedule works and get to know students from older grades.
Mr. Theijsmeijer has started tryouts for the tennis team, holding tryouts twice a week. The NSSSA competition will take place on May 17. Isaac Gosse, Grace Duncanson and their coach Mr. Robinson travelled to Toronto for the Provincial Skills Competition from May 6-8. Isaac and Grace competed in team 2D Animation.
Issac Gosse, a Grade 12 competitor, said, “Grace and I did a really good job working together in Sudbury, but now we are going to a competition where most of the contestants are fluent with this kind of tech. Personally, I think we are going just for the experience itself. We are going to try our best and represent Manitoulin well.”
With a month full of activities that require skill, leadership, and school spirit, MSS is making an impression on May. ‘Til next time, stay golden, Mustangs.
