by Elizabeth Steele-Drew

Granite Ridge Education Centre celebrated the accomplishments of the grade 9 -11 students from the 2013-2014 school year on October 15 at our annual Academic Awards Assembly. Congratulations to all Gryphons from last year on their excellent academic achievements. Students received subject awards for earning the highest mark in a class; honour pins for earning an 80% or more average; a Provincial Standard Award for reaching the Provincial Standard average of 70%; a Gryphon of Extraordinary Excellence award for earning Excellent in all 6 learning skills in 6 subjects as well as special awards generously donated by community members. As well, proficiency trophies for earning the highest academic average in a grade were awarded to Alison Maddison (Grade 11 with an 89%), Riley Teal (Grade 10 with a 91%) and Brianna Drew (Grade 9 with a 92%). Seventy-five percent of last year’s grade 9 class, seventy-eight percent of the grade 10s and eighty-three percent of the grade 11s from the last school year were recognized for their incredible academic accomplishments. The staff of Granite Ridge Education Centre would like to thank the parents/guardians who attended. We appreciate the partnership that we have developed to support our students as they learn and grow.

 The event is just one of three United Way fundraisers that happen annually at the school every year. Local area high school students can also support the KFLA United Way at their upcoming Starlight Film Festival event, which takes place in Kingston at the Cineplex Odeon on Gardiners Road from 12:30AM-6:30 AM on Saturday, November 8 (Friday night to Saturday morning). Five PG-rated movies will be shown: Anchorman 2, Despicable Me, Pacific Rim, Pitch Perfect and X-Men: First Class. Tickets are $20 (cash only) and include free arcade games, unlimited popcorn, a drink and a free hot dog. The event is only for high school students and is a non-smoking event. Valid student ID is required. Doors open at 12:30 AM and close at 1:30AM. For more information contact the KFLA United Way at 613-542-2674 or visit www.unitedwaykfla.ca

Candidates for the mayoral race in central and north Frontenac took to the stage at the Granite Ridge Education Centre cafetorium on October 14 as part of the school's Student Vote program.

The program, which has been running at the school since 2003, is being headed up this year by Mr. McVety's grade 12 history class. Since 2003 students at the school have been involved through the program in all of the municipal, provincial and federal elections except for ones that took place during the summer months.

On Tuesday the four mayoral candidates, who included Frances Smith and incumbent Janet Gutowski from Central Frontenac, and Claudio Valentini and Ron Higgins from North Frontenac, took to the stage, each advocating why they are the best choice for mayor.

The assembly was mediated by senior students Josh Keefe and Brandy Armstrong and the candidates were timed by Caleb Poirier and Geoff Dewar. Students from grades 7 through 12 listened first to the introductions, after which a number of students posed direct questions to the candidates.

The questions from students included:

1) What issues does each candidate feel are the most important in the community?

2) How is he or she going to help youth in the community? and

3) Why they feel that they are the best choice for the job.

Later in the week students will vote for the candidates and the winners will be announced at a later date. The aim of the Student Vote program is to engage youth about politics and the issues that directly effect them. Randy McVety said that he wanted to “engage students, especially at the municipal level of government, which is the one closest to them and the one that is most likely to impact their lives.” McVety also cited “the abysmally low level of voter turn out at all government elections”. He hopes that getting youth involved will encourage them to remain engaged in the political process once they graduate from school.

McVety was grateful to the four candidates, who took the time to come out and speak to the students.

At a special school-wide assembly on September 25 at Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake, students learned about the Canadian hero Terry Fox and his epic run across the country to raise funds for cancer research. Students watched a film about Fox, who was diagnosed with bone cancer in March 1977. He underwent surgery that left him with a prosthetic leg. On April 12, 1980 in St. John's, Newfoundland and after months of training, Fox set out on his Marathon of Hope to raise money for cancer research. He ran for 143 days though six Canadian provinces, averaging 42 kilometres a day for a total of 5373 kilometres, before finding out upon reaching Thunder Bay that the cancer had spread to his lungs. Terry then returned to British Colombia for treatment and sadly passed away on June 28, 1981 at the age of 22. His goal of every Canadian donating one loonie to the cause was not in vain and his Marathon of Hope inspired and rallied the nation to initiate and take part in annual runs and other events, which, as of May 2014, have raised over $650M for cancer research through the Terry Fox Foundation. Terry was the youngest recipient to receive the Companion of the Order of Canada and today, almost 35 years after his marathon began, he continues to inspire people from all over the world.

GREC students Sam Kempe, Josh Keith, Bailey Merrigan, Tyee Davis, Emily Baillargeon, Leah Neumann, and Wyatt McVeigh spoke at the assembly, which was organized by educational assistant Cathy Reynolds, and each student read an excerpt from the journal Terry kept during his marathon. Prior to the event each student was asked to donate a loonie or toonie to the Terry Fox Foundation and after the coins were counted the school had raised close to $400. Following the assembly the students and staff ran or walked the outdoor track at the school and on the following Monday Ms. Schall's grade eight class was awarded a prize for raising the most money for the event.

On September 5, Granite Ridge Education Centre students and staff enjoyed an afternoon in the sun participating in colour house challenges and a BBQ. Points for their colour houses are earned through participation in theme days and special activities organized throughout the year. The events featured for the afternoon were: puzzle games to get to know some of our new staff, parachute games, obstacle courses and the very popular water sponge game. The clap challenge led by Ms Robinson was a great way to involve all students in a rousing cheer to end the day. What a great ending to the first week of school.

On June 26 the 59 students of the first graduating class of Granite Ridge Education Centre sat gowned and capped and looking ahead to their futures at the new school's first official commencement ceremony. The celebrations in the school's spacious new gym/cafeteria were well attended, with hundreds of friends and families taking pictures of their loved ones, many of whom will either be heading to post-secondary institutions, returning to the school to complete a final fifth year, or looking to enter the work force. The ceremony was emceed by Elizabeth Steele-Drew and included addresses by Principal Heather Highet, Vice-principal James McDonald, and Brenda Hunter of the Limestone District School Board, with musical interludes performed by the GREC school band.

Numerous awards and bursaries were handed out to the graduating students. Long-time music teacher Claudio Valentini, who retires this year, received the Earl Memorial Trophy in recognition of his outstanding achievement and contributions to the school over his career there.

One emotional highlight of the evening was the address by GREC's first official valedictorian for 2013/2014, grade 12 student Hillary Howes, who was chosen by her peers as the student who “best represents the graduating class.” Hillary, who has been accepted into Fleming College's paramedics program in Peterborough, was introduced by Ms. Steele-Drew as a student who is “determined and reaches her goals”, and “an incredible athlete and team player, an enthusiastic leader and a confident lady with an extremely bright future ahead of her.” Hillary received a standing ovation and in her speech she started by congratulating her fellow graduates. She then recalled many of her favorite memories from her four years as a student at the school, the many teachers who guided her over the years, and this year’s grad trip to New York City. She ended her speech stating “I know that all of you in 20 years will look back at your years in high school and remember what we experienced here and how that helped to shape us.” Following the ceremony the grads posed for a picture and then joined friends and family for a festive reception.

On the previous evening, June 25, the grade eight graduates from the school held their own special graduation ceremony, when each student crossed the stage to receive recognition from their teacher Miss Julia Schall. Numerous students received special awards for their accomplishments. Grade eight student Sam Kempe was chosen as the grade eight valedictorian, and following her address, the students, their friends and families also enjoyed a special celebratory reception at the school.

Congratulations to all of this year’s graduating students at GREC.

Students and staff at the Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake gathered for a special ceremony celebrating the recent planting of the school’s new tree nursery. Shawn Lavender, who teaches the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program at the school, invited grade nine students in the SHSM forestry program to speak about the new nursery, where the students planted dogwood, sugar maple, and white pine trees. One of the goals is to replace each tree that was cut down during the construction of the new school with 15 new trees.

The project, which was funded with the help of grants from the Limestone Learning Foundation, the TD Bank’s Environmental Fund and Lowe's of Kingston, who donated the sawmill to the school, is part of the provincial government’s goal to plant 50 million new trees in the province. The nursery project was chosen by Lavender to allow students in the SHSM program at Granite Ridge to acquire skills and knowledge in sustainable economic and social activities.

Each grade nine student in the SHSM program was invited to plant one tree with a 3D label attached with their name. The labels were designed by the students with the help of Ms. Hurley using the school’s new 3D printer. Mr. Murray, who runs the wood and auto shop programs at the school, had students create the wooden signs that identify the new nursery using wood from trees cut on site and cut on the school's own saw mill. The students prepared the site and planted it with 400 new seedlings.

At the ceremony, students Dustin Granlund and Nolan Teal spoke about how the new nursery “will allow for carbon at the equivalent of 100 plane trips from Montreal to Vancouver (the equivalent of 100 tons of carbon) to be captured from the atmosphere in a single tree’s life time.” Students Craig Schonauer and Bailey Green spoke about the other projects the students undertook in the program, which included their maintaining part of the Lanark Mazinaw Forest by clearing a 20-acre parcel and “stripping it of iron wood, striped maple and small white birch thereby enhancing the mass trees and encouraging their growth while maintaining a healthier forest for animals and nature lovers.”

Last to speak was forestry student Robert, who spoke about Granite Ridge's forest management plan and the nursery project whose goal was “to remove the undergrowth and invasive trees on the property and to open the area for mass canopy trees and encourage the growth and regeneration of sugar maples, pine and dogwood”.

Shawn Lavender led the presentation and thanked all of the students and staff involved in the project as well as staff and representatives from the LLF and the SHSM program, who were present at the event. They included Leslie Myles, Mike Sewell, John Chomitz and Shawn Lehman. Mr. Lavender concluded the presentation with the words, “I like to think that we are doing our part here at Granite Ridge though our tree planting and continued involvement with our community partners to improve the landscape and restore our area back to pre-European times. This is an initiative that the government has mandated in its forest operations and we would like to succeed in restoring pine back to 14% of our landscape from the 7% that it is today.” Following the presentation students and staff enjoyed an outdoor barbeque lunch at the new nursery site.

Frontenac County was well represented at a Student Achievers awards ceremony at the Limestone District School Board offices last week.

Emily Delyea and Skyler Howes of Granite Ridge (Sharbot Lake) and Stephanie Jones from Sydenham High School were among 12 students in the board to receive citations at the event.

Emily Delyea has run the deck with every mark on her transcript at Level 4 and most of her grades in the high 90s. She is a member of four varsity teams, is also involved in student council, coaching and other activities, and is a Relay for Life volunteer. She will be studying Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa in September.

Skyler Howes excels in Math and Sciences, and he won the Governor General's Academic Medal as well in recognition of his overall average. He is also a leader on five varsity teams and a KASSAA all-star to boot. He has coached in the Northern Basketball League for elementary students. In addition to his activities at the school, he has completed 383 volunteer hours in the community with the local fire department, rec committee and his church. He will be studying Engineering at Queen's in the fall.

Stephanie Jones is a dedicated, hard-working, high-achieving student. Stephanie has a developmental disability; she has had to overcome a number of learning challenges and has been an inspiration to her teachers. She spends a lot of time in class working with other students while maintaining a high grade average. She is highly involved in the photography program at SHS. During the recent Multicultural Fair, Stephanie’s portfolio was chosen by her peers as the best overall collection of photos and journal entries, and for outstanding artistic creativity. She has spent over 200 hours on community volunteer work, and will be attending St. Lawrence College in September, as one of only 15 students accepted into the Community Integration Through Co-operative Education program.

Students from the Granite Ridge Education Centre, assisted staff member Shelley Bertrim with the two-day Returns For Leukemia bottle drive that took place on May 24 and 25 at the Beer Store in Sharbot Lake to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada. The annual event, which takes place every May, was organized by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 12R24 in partnership with the Beer Store.

The drive invited shoppers to donate their empties, with 100% of the funds going directly to the society. The society is also looking for donors for bone marrow transplants. The test involves a simple cheek swab and potential donors are initially asked to give a transfusion that is similar to making a blood donation.

For more information on the steps involved in being a donor or to register online go to www.onematch.ca. For those who missed the drive you can still make a monetary donation by visiting bottledrive.ca

by Julia Schall

Teamwork, communication and music are alive and well at Granite Ridge Education Centre! The GREC School of Rock have been meeting weekly since the end of March. The primary goals of this extra-curricular program are to build confidence and foster communication and collaborative skills while learning some music basics. Although we started late this year, the students worked hard to build their repertoire - from Joan Jett and Lead Belly to the Sheepdogs and Augustina. Many thanks to the Limestone Learning Foundation for previous grants to purchase many of our instruments.