Roughly 180 grade 7 and 8 students involved in the three Limestone District School Boards Challenge Programs will be participating in the “Challenge for Change - The Antipathy to Apathy”, a symposium that will take place on Wednesday Nov. 25 at the Queen’s University Faculty of Education’s McArthur Hall.

The symposium evolved from last years Environmental Sustainability symposium held at Loughborough Public School, in which students participated in workshops and developed projects that included community action plans and art projects geared towards informing the community of the subject of environmental sustainability.

This year the Symposium has evolved into a joint venture that includes all of the students from the three Limestone District School Boards Challenge Programs currently running at Loughborough, Calvin Park and Odessa public schools.

The Challenge programs have existed for over a decade and was designed to meet the needs of gifted and academically advanced students in the LDSB who are seeking new and innovative ways of learning.

As described by Alan Macdonald, one of the Limestone teachers involved in coordinating the symposium, this year’s symposium is composed of two facets: the first is a series of workshops led by a roster of 13 innovators including artists, professors, poets, engineers, musicians, writers, videographers and community action leaders who will share their knowledge of affecting positive change in the world.

Students will choose 3 workshops from a possible list of 13, will “provide students that have a desire to affect change with the mechanisms to move forward,” Macdonald said.

The second facet will see students taking their new found knowledge and applying it to a project of their own creation in a format of their own choosing.

Presentations can take the form of an arts/media presentation, experimentation, innovation, research project or community action. The finished projects will be put on public display in February.

On Wednesday night there will be keynote performances by “Theatre Complete”, spoken word artist Greg Frankson and a presentation by CBC broadcaster Jowi Taylor, who is renowned for building the Six String Nation Guitar.

For Alan Macdonald the Challenge for Change symposium “brings validity to the creative process for children raised in a knowledge based society that doesn't often allow time for such thought.

“Our students will meet innovators who use the creative process as they problem solve to create better communities…We want to give students the tools to put creativity in motion and the permission to use those tools.”

For more information about the upcoming Challenge for Change symposium please contact Alan Macdonald at Loughborough Public School (613) 376-3848.

SLHS School to Community student Mitchell Combe in the Snoezelen Room’s “Floating Leaf” chair

Teachers and staff at Sharbot Lake High School are continuing their fundraising efforts to purchase a Snoezelen (pronounced “SNOOzelen”) Room for the school, to be used by students in the School to Community class there.

The room offers tools and materials that provide controlled multi-sensory stimulation to students with developmental disabilities, autism and attention deficit disorders.

Like Snoezelen Room fundraising efforts at other local schools, the SLHS project was initiated by an educational assistant in the School to Community program there. SLHS educational assistant Josh Goodfellow began the campaign when he witnessed first-hand the benefits the facility had on students in his class. What he saw convinced him to initiate a fundraising campaign to acquire the school's very own facility.

Currently SLHS students are bussed every other week to the existing Snoezelen Room at North Addington Education Centre in Cloyne, with financial help from Community Living-North Frontenac in Sharbot Lake.

Though beneficial to students, the logistics of transporting a limited number of students for a limited number of visits is not ideal. In SLHS's School to Community class, Josh and three other educational assistants, Amy Thompson, Mary-Joy Neadow and Janice Kellar are hoping to change that.

Josh started fundraising for the $10,000+ project last summer and applied for a grant first from the Limestone Learning Foundation (LLF), which was turned down because it didn’t meet certain criteria. The LLF then forwarded the application to the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area and the project received a $2000 grant.

Josh and his team continued their efforts and organized a baseball tournament in Parham last summer that raised another $1000 for the cause. CL-NF recently donated $1,000 to the project.

On Friday, Oct. 30 when I met with Josh and Tammy Steele, one of two School to Community teachers at SLHS, he had just wrapped up their month-long teacher torture fundraiser which raised another $350.

For Josh the project is an important one. He said, “Having a room of our own will allow more students to have access to it more often. And there will be long-term cost savings as well.”

Tammy Steele explained, “The Snoezelen Room provides both stimulation and relaxation to students in ways that the environment of a regular classroom cannot. It offers the students freedom of choice in a safe and non-intimidating environment and invites them to make their own decisions.” She added, “We’re really excited and hope to acquire the room this year.”

Next on the fundraising agenda is a Silent Auction/ Wine and Cheese Event that will be held on Friday, November 6 at 7PM at the school. The $12 ticket includes a glass of wine and live entertainment by an all-teacher band and grade 11 student singer Maggie Campbell.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact SLHS at 613-279-2131 or contact Josh Goodfellow, Amy Thompson, Mary-Joy Neadow, Janice Kellar or Tammy Steele.

Kudos to SLHS student Jonathon Gillies who helped design the poster for the event.

 

 Sharbot Lake Panthers Senior Girls basketball team. Front row l-r: Nicole Domen, Tiffany Carmichael, Rachel Neadow, Sarah Armstrong, Dana Mika. Back row l-r: Mr. Wes Garrod, Kaitlyn Wilkes, Courtney Meeks, Sarah McCullough, Sami Stencill, Mr. Mike Smith. Photo courtesy of SLHS

When the Sharbot Lake Panthers beat the LCVI Lancers 36-21 in early October, it was the first time in over eight years that the Sharbot Lake senior girls basketball team has won a game.

With only 200 students in grades 9 through 12, Sharbot Lake is smallest school in the KASSAA league, so it's easy to understand why scoring a win has been elusive.

But this year the team and their coaches Mike Smith and Wes Garrod made a point of ending that eight-year losing streak and actually decided that they would win a game. In fact winning one was just one of their set goals for this year. Scoring in the double digits at every single game and playing a full game at each contest were their other two main objectives this year and they not only accomplished all three goals, they even went beyond. On November 5 at their last league game of the season, the lady Panthers beat Napanee 44-38 and so ended up winning two.

That last win was an important one for the team and though they still came short of qualifying for the upcoming playoffs (they finished in a tie for 10th place), they are more than confident heading into the EOSSAA Championships, which will pit them against five other triple A schools in the region.

As I got to know the team’s coaches and players last Thursday on their home court, it became apparent that this year’s wins were not mere flukes. Rather, this kind of high calibre play has been in the works for the last three years since Mike Smith has been coaching the team.

Smith explained, “We have been slowly building up a culture here of high calibre play. It’s been developing since the players were in grades 9 and 10. This year I think it just all came together.”

Mike explained that that high calibre play consisted of putting two main key systems in place: playing a 2-3 zone on defense and playing a 4 out perimeter offence. He said, “The team is made up of a great group of athletes who were extremely quick to pick up those systems.”

Joined this year by assistant coach Wes Garrod, the two coaches this spring decided to run a spring camp for the team to give the girls a chance to play more ball during the year. Smith explained that many players from other school teams play club ball during the year and so have more opportunities to hone their skills.

Of the spring camp Smith said, “It was amazing to see how much the girls improved after those five practices.”

Part of the team’s success lies in the very positive and close relationships among the players. This team is made up of an extremely close and cohesive bunch of girls who have not only developed individually as players over the years, but have also gelled into a caring, close-knit group of friends who have a great time every single time that they play together on the court.

I spoke to the players after their 44-38 home win against Napanee on November 5, where they maintained a 10-point lead almost throughout and asked them how they felt about their league play this season.

Dana Mika explained, “We were really close to making the playoffs this year. At our last game against QECVI we lost by three points with three of our players missing. If we had won that one, we would have tied for eighth and had a chance at the playoffs.”

Regarding their cohesion as a team, Sarah Armstrong stated, “We’re all good friends, which really helps on the court, and we have a good time, which makes a huge difference in the way we play.”

Dana Mika added, “We go into a lot of these games against much bigger schools sometimes knowing that we aren’t necessarily going to win but we still give it our all.”

The players paid tribute to their two coaches, whom they described as both “very encouraging and very positive.”

Coming off a win is a great way to go into the EOSSA tournament and coaches Smith and Garrod are extremely proud of their team. Smith admitted, “Throughout the year opposing coaches and the referees have commented on how well the team is playing, really very humbling. He added, “We feel great for the girls. They’ve put a lot of time into improving their game and it’s great that they get to hear that from other people besides us.”

The EOSSAA Championships takes place November 18 and 19 at Rideau District High School in Elgin and the Panthers are hoping to make it to the second round of the championships.

 

Photo: Atom boys gave it their all at the 9th annual Joe Goodfellow Memorial Race at HPS

On Oct. 5 over 400 students from 14 different north eastern schools in the LDSB participated in the Joe Goodfellow Memorial Race Region 3 Meet held at Hinchinbrooke Public School in Parham.

It was Dan Kimmerer’s 9th year as organizer the event, which was named in memory of Joe Goodfellow, a former student at Hinchinbrooke Public School who was killed 9 years ago at the age of 19 in a tragic car accident.

For Dan the race symbolizes everything that Joe stood for, namely the love of athletics and doing the best that you can. Dan explained, “It’s great for the community to have role models and Joe was that kind of person who had a lot of character. I do this race for these kids and also for the memory of Joe.”

The atoms race was 1.85 km and the other two classes ran a 2.85 km course. There were 6 races in total, which included both male and female events in the atom (grades 3 & 4), bantam (grades 5 & 6) and midget (grades 7 & 8) classes.

Upon completing the race every single runner was congratulated at the finish line by Joe’s mom Cathy Goodfellow, who handed each participant a ribbon.

For Cathy every child’s effort deserves recognition at this event. “ I think it’s really important that their effort is acknowledged and everyone of them gets and deserves a pat on the back. It‘s a really difficult race.” She added, “And many thanks from our family to all of the volunteers who continue to work very hard to put this event on.”

The top 30 individual runners who placed in their races and the top three scoring schools will proceed to the Limestone District Championships, which will be held at Fort Henry Hill in Kingston on Oct. 13.

Congratulations to all of the runners who participated.

Sydenham’s Junior Eagles beat the Frontenac Falcons 27-7 at the Fourth annual Bubba Bowl

It was a rainy night under the lights at the fourth annual Bubba Bowl held at the Point in Sydenham, October 2, but that didn’t stop 2000+ football fans from coming out for the Golden Eagles junior/senior double header against the Frontenac Falcons, Sydenham’s arch rivals who beat them at the finish of last year’s contest.

It was an opportunity not only for fast and furious football under the bright lights but also a time for staff, players, fans, friends and family to remember Alex (“Bubba”) Turcotte, whom the bowl is named for, a former player with the Golden Eagles and grade 12 Sydenham high school student who passed away in his sleep in 2001.

The Bubba Bowl was the brainchild of Jim Latimer, head coach for the Junior Eagles; the field's scoreboard was unveiled four years ago in Alex’s honour. Latimer and the Senior Eagles’ head coach, Mike Love, always make it a priority to ensure that their players are aware of Alex Turcotte and his legacy. Love said that many players on his team write Alex’s team number on their wrists and arms prior to the game for good luck.

Alex’s older sister Emily Landon, who watched the games from the sidelines, said, “Every year it is such a great honour to see this event take place and it’s great for me and my family to know that Alex is remembered for the game and the community that he loved.” Alex was well known and adored for his sportsmanship and character, both on and off the field. Emily continued, “And he embraced everyone, not just athletes.”

The rain seemed a minor factor for the Junior Eagles who took the lead early in the game and whose aim, according to Coach Latimer, was “to just keep marching the ball down the field.”

That plan paid out big time and with a few key interceptions the Junior Eagles built onto their early lead and scored their final touch down with 11 seconds left. They won what is usually a very close game, 24-7.

Latimer was thrilled and said, “I’m really proud of our offensive line."

The Seniors did not fare nearly as well and were skunked by the Falcons 29-0, the first time in four years of the bowl that Sydenham has lost a game.

On a brighter note, another first for the Bubba Bowl is the change in the focus of the funds raised at the event: funds will now be directed to the Point Improvement Fund (PIF) which is in the process of looking at a range of possible improvement projects. These include permanent lights for the sports field, a permanent two-storey building facility equipped with washrooms, change rooms and a meeting room, and improved walkways, all of which the committee feel will be beneficial to all user groups.

Vicki Veldman, a member of the Point Improvement Committee, explained, “We just got the official go ahead from council to start raising money for the PIF." Further meetings with all user groups will decide when and which projects will take priority. Funds are raised at the Bubba Bowl through food and Eagles sweat wear sales, a 50/50 draw and through private donations. Anyone who missed the game and who is interested in purchasing Eagles sweat wear can call Vicki Veldman at 613-376-6278.

 

Sydenham High School Principal Shawn Lehman, in his newly decorated office.

That seems to be the case for Shawn Lehman.

Lehman joined the Limestone District School Board this fall as the new principal of Sydenham High School after working 10 years in the Upper Canada District School Board from his home base of Brockville. He was greeted with a thick carpet of sod, a golf cart, some clubs and a flag when he opened the door to his office at SHS early on Monday morning.

“I don't know who did this,” he said later in the day, “but I think they have some IT experience.”

Lehman joined his predecessors, other new principals and vice principals at the school who found that some mischievous underlings made a few changes to their office a few days or weeks after their arrival at the school. “This was a pretty extensive job” he said, “They removed everything in the office save for two bookshelves, laid this thick carpet of sod, and brought in the golf cart.”

For Lehman it's all part of the relaxed atmosphere at SHS that he has already come to enjoy. “People have been very welcoming. This is a school with a strong committed staff, which makes my job easy,” he said.

Over the next few months Principal Lehman will be working on a school improvement plan, dealing with both educational and facility issues.

For the time being he is continuing to live in Brockville, with his wife, and will be commuting to the school, at least for the first year. 

 

Last week students at Land O'Lakes Public School in Mountain Grove with a passion for art started up the second year of an extra-curricular art program at the school. The popular program, which first ran in 2011, is back this year thanks to a $800 grant from the Limestone Learning Foundation, which pays for the cost of all the materials and makes the program free for the students.

Grade 7/8 teacher Lee Hull, who is a trained illustrator/classical painter, and an award-winning artist in his own right, is again heading up the program, which he calls the Land O'Lakes Art Club. It is Hull's passion for painting that attracted the 24 budding young artists to the class this year and when I visited the school last week the students were just getting started.

Mr. Hull was demonstrating to the students how to hold their pencils and how to make rough gestural sketches of a draped plastic mannequin, which he positioned in the centre of the gym along with a large plant that he invited the students to include in their compositions. They were instructed to make four rough sketches and then to choose their favorite, which will be the foundation of a painting that each student will produce by the end of the course.

Each student was provided with their own easel, smock, paints, pencils, brushes and palette and canvas and the LLF grant also allowed Hull to purchase the plastic mannequin, which the class named Lola (Land O'Lakes Art Model). During the course the students will learn basic classical drawing and painting techniques, including how to make an effective composition, how to paint folds, and how to paint light and shadow. Hull is passing on to the students the classical drawing and painting techniques that he studied at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto and also in Florence, Italy.

Hull said he enjoys the energy of the students. “These students are here because they are interested and excited about making art and the fact that they are giving up their free time to learn demonstrates that fact,” he said. Asked about the challenges of teaching students who may have no previous art background Hull said, “Classical techniques follow a predefined series of steps that are very straightforward. Basically you start with drawing a line and then defining the lights and darks by making gradations first from dark to light and then back again.” Hull said that when he last ran the class two years ago he was amazed and shocked by the quality of the work that the students produced. “The fact that you can teach them the steps so that they can then harness their creativity is an amazing thing.”

Hull's passion for painting is apparent in his very upbeat and energetic approach. He makes his way around the circle of easels, speaking to each student individually, giving them pointers and encouragement along the way. French teacher Max Campbell and parent Brett Hilder are assisting in the class and judging by the concentration and enthusiasm of the students, it looks as though there will be 24 very interesting paintings by the end of the 10-week course. The course will end with a final art show at the school.

Hull, who is not one to toot his own horn, has had numerous shows here and abroad, including in Italy and in Japan. A portrait he painted of former LOLPS staff member, Brian Robertson, earned him the second place award last year in the Kingston Art Council's portrait competition. Lee did say that he feels it is important to learn from someone who practises art themselves. “If I wanted to learn something new, like music or ceramics, I would definitely want to learn from someone who practices them.”

Hull continues to paint in his spare time and currently is working on a watercolour painting of an old barn.

Back to HomeFeature Article - June 11, 2009 Denbigh residents want to keep their schoolBy Jule Koch Brison

At a public meeting on June 15, Denbigh residents let representatives of the Limestone District School Board (LDSB) know in no uncertain terms that their connection to their school has not diminished in the two years since it was closed.

The present school was built in 1960, after the previous school burnt down. In the 1980s the community undertook extensive fundraising to add a gymnasium to the school. They raised Aproximately $37000. and were also able to secure an $80,000 Wintario grant. The gym was built in 1989. Together, the two wings total 981 m² of space, giving the school a capacity of 112 students.

According to one of the school’s former principals, Bill Snider, who spoke at the meeting, a school has stood on the present site since 1850. Mr. Snider was the principal for 17 years prior to the mid-80s, and he said that the high point of the school’s enrollment during his tenure was “over the 150 mark”. That number included students from the Renfrew Board.

Since amalgamation, the highest enrollment at Denbigh PS was 44 in the 2000/2001 school year. The school was closed in June 2006, after registrations for the following year dropped to seven students and the board decided to transfer those students to North Addington Education Centre (NAEC) in Cloyne.

LDSB Superintendent Roger Richard presented a staff report at the meeting detailing the recent history of the school. It notes that presently there are 21 JK to grade 6 students from the former Denbigh catchment area who currently attend NAEC.

The public meeting was called to comply with the report’s recommendation that the LDSB inform the community of its intention to close and dispose of the school in order to receive input from the public before a final decision is made.

Richard said that the board had been approached by at least two individuals interested in acquiring the site, but they did not reveal what their intentions were.

Denbigh resident Paul Isaacs said that the northern ward contributes $300,000 in school taxes every year. According to his calculations, that provides $120,000 for Denbigh PS. He said, “We can educate seven students with that amount of money – the only thing stopping us is you.”

Henry Hogg, Reeve of Addington Highlands Township, spoke on behalf of the residents and stressed that the community should have the opportunity to take over ownership of school, especially considering the amount of money they contributed to its construction.

Steve Giles, a retired police officer and community member, asked if the board had considered approaching community colleges and other organizations to see if they would be interested in using the school to offer courses and other educational activities for the whole community.

In reply, Superintendent Richard detailed the process that the board would have to follow if it made the final decision to dispose of the school. He said that the Education Act would kick in, which mandates that formal letters be sent to 12 “preferred agencies”. These include the Catholic school boards, community colleges, and Addington Highlands Township itself. Those agencies have a full 90 days to indicate whether or not they are interested in acquiring the school, and only if they all decline would the property be put up for public tender.

Reeve Hogg, speaking on behalf of council, then asked if the board would apply the funds that were raised by the community towards the possible purchase of the school by the township.

Richard replied that the act specifies that the school be sold for its “market value”, but he said the board would consider the community’s contribution.

Several community members voiced the opinion that bigger schools do not necessarily provide a better educational experience for students than small schools, leading Director of Education Betty Hunter to point out that the drop in enrolment came about because parents were increasingly choosing to transfer their children to NAEC.

Former principal Snider said that the grade 7s & 8s were transferred to NAEC during his tenure because NAEC had been “overbuilt” and needed students. He said he was not going to go into all the decisions that were made over the years, some by the Renfrew Board and some by the Lennox & Addington Board, but he spoke of his memories of the “school fairs and agricultural fairs when everybody would come, when the school was filled with youngsters playing hockey and broomball.”

He later also commended the board’s facilities manager Glen Carson for the excellent shape in which the school has been kept since its closure. “It’s ready to use today, and I would like to see it used,” he said, repeating a sentiment that was expressed by all those who spoke at the meeting.

One of the ideas put forward was for the building to be used as a seniors’ home.

The question of the school’s “fair market value” was raised several times, with resident Dave Savigny, who was a real estate agent and appraiser for many years, almost having the last word on the subject. Savigny said that market value is determined by the income that the “highest and best use of the building” would produce. He said that because of the school’s location, no one was going to carry on a commercial operation on the site; therefore its highest and best use would be as a community building, which would produce an income of $0. “Therefore” he said, “its market value is $0.”

“Thank you for that input,” replied LDSB Chair Ann Goodfellow. 

It wasn't exactly easy or smooth, but on Sunday afternoon, January 5, the Limestone District School Board received an occupancy permit for Granite Ridge Education Centre.

The next morning, the school was ready to receive students, although the fact that the first day of school ended up being a snow day was not unwelcome to staff, who were still setting up their classrooms and work stations.

Tuesday morning ended up being the real opening day of Granite Ridge, and although there were still trucks parked outside, some of the trades-people were still finishing up their work, and the wind was howling as the students made their way from the buses to the front door, it was a very bright and happy day for the Limestone District School Board and families in Central and North Frontenac.

Principal Heather Highet welcomed the secondary students in the new cafeteria, which for the moment is open to the school's full-sized gym. Trustee Ann Goodfellow and School Board Director Brenda Hunter were on hand as well. Heather Highet talked briefly about the layout of the school and then the teachers led the students off to their new home rooms.

One of the major features of the school is the surrounding environment. There are very few spaces in the school that do not have at least one or two windows to the outside, and natural light infuses all the classrooms.

All of the technology in the classroom is another feature. There are SMART boards in every class, and the in-class sound systems are integrated directly into the teachers' own computers. Not only is the sound quality good, but the walls to the hallways are insulated so the sound stays in the class.

While Tuesday was the first day of classes after the break and secondary students have exams to prepare for, some of the younger elementary teachers were starting the new year by taking their students on tours of their big, new school.

Granite Ridge includes classrooms for all of the secondary school programs that were available at the former Sharbot Lake High School, including a wood and auto shop, music, art/fabric art room and a kitchen class.

Added features and upgrades from the previous school include a 6,300 square foot gymnasium, two separate change rooms, a fully equipped weight/powerfit room, a cafetorium with a 1,000 square foot stage, seating for 250 for concerts and performances, and a retractable wall that will open up to the gymnasium, allowing for large assemblies and events to permit seating for over 600.

While the school is up and running now, it will take some time for all of the moving in to be completed. The library is still filled with boxes of books, for example, which is something that will be sorted out in a matter of days. It will take longer to remove the former Sharbot Lake High School building and complete the landscaping plan that will make full use of the surrounding landscape.

Fortunately, few students were complaining about the lack of outdoor recreation areas on the first day of classes at Granite Ridge. Somehow the -20º temperatures and high winds made the students happy to explore inside, within the building itself.

The public will be invited to view the new building sometime later this winter.

Sydenham resident Leslie Myles recently returned from her second trip to Nepal, and one of her primary goals was to keep the global connection she began there one year ago between Kingston and Nepalese students alive and well.

Myles, who works as the managing director of the Limestone Learning Foundation in Kingston, made her first trip to Nepal at this same time last year for a fundraiser called The Everest Climb for Kids. On that trip she raised funds for the Limestone Learning Foundation, an organization that funds enhanced learning opportunities for children in the Limestone District School Board, and for the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation, which helps to fund a number of local Nepalese schools located in Nepal's mountainous regions. On that first trip Myles also visited the Khunde Hospital located in the Solukhomba region of Nepal, where her fundraising efforts helped to purchase an X-Ray machine there.

On that first trip Myles and some of her 15-member climbing team also personally secured funding to help four children of their Sherpa guides attend local schools. Myles brought with her on that first trip countless letters written by grade 4 and 5 students at Central Public School in Kingston and delivered them to the Nepalese students at the Shree Himalaya School and in doing so, opened up what has become a thriving connection between the students. While Myles' second trip was a solo and a more personal one, she said that one of her aims in going back was to “keep that global student connection alive as well as to check up on the four students that we (members of the initial climbing team) helped attend school. I wanted to go and see how the four students were doing, to secure their continued funding support and also to keep up the connection between the Kingston and Nepalese students that started last year.”

With that second goal mind in mind Myles brought with her on this trip more letters from the Kingston Central PS students and on her return to Sydenham came with an armful of letters from the Nepalese students, some of which I have included here. Myles also visited the Khunde Hospital and spoke with Dr. Kami, one of the first Sherpas to become a doctor there. She also spent time living in the homes of the students that she is personally supporting.

Myles, whose connection with Nepal has become as personal as it is professional, reiterated her feeling that education, no matter at here home or abroad is “the beginning of everything.” She explained, “ In this mountainous region of Nepal the primary source of income comes from trekking and most children will become guides. But when these children become educated, they have a lot more options open to them. Their parents’ main goal is get an education for their children.”

Myles said that her job with the LLF is to have a passion for kids and education and to enhance learning opportunities for children. “What I am trying to do is help create a tangible learning experience for students here and there and I am doing that through letter writing and by giving slide show presentations, and also through video feeds that we have been sending back and forth between the schools.”

She also brought back with her home-made trinkets and prayer shawls made by the Nepalese students to be given out to the Kingston students. Myles thrives on world-wide adventure and loves the thrill of experiencing some of the most remote places on the globe, and students across the globe are continuing to benefit from her personal passions. “The students both here and there are so engaged and excited to have this ongoing global connection. It's a real live experience for all of the students and both sides are learning from one another in a very tangible way.”

Myles has future plans to open up other avenues of communication between the students, including trying to utilize a new radio station set up in the Solukhombu region of Nepal. “I'd love to set up something with the new radio station there so that the students could be feeding information to each other on an ongoing basis.” Regarding the benefits to students, Myles said the experience goes a long way in broadening students’ horizons and giving them first-hand experience of the lives of others in far off countries, whom they otherwise might know very little about.