Board of Education Report March 10, 2021
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Staff reported on the District’s positive collaboration with the Penticton Foundry. The Foundry, operated by One Sky Community Resources and supported by the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, offers a “one stop-shop” to support integrated youth services and earlier interventions. During this year, many schools in SD No. 53 have engaged with The Foundry through various means, including school “Zoom” introduction sessions. Foundry staff have also been on-site in schools leading interactive presentations on topics such as vaping and mental health.

The Women in Trades Bootcamp was a huge success. We had 16 young women from grade 10 at SOSS attend the two-day event. A huge thank you to our teachers who helped facilitate this program: Rod Kitt, Boyd Turnbull, Travis Hofman, Lukas Toth, and Ryan Baptiste and special guest assistant, John Hofman. We will be doing the Women in Trades Bootcamp atOSS in April. We are also working on the details for SESS.

The Professional Cook program started on February 1st in partnership with Camosun College. We have a full class comprised of students from all secondary schools in the District. So far, they have attended three labs, and everyone is off to a great start. Related to this, one of our graduates of the program, Siobhan Detkavich, will be competing in Top Chef Canada televised on Food Network  Canada. Tune in starting April 19 to support one of our own students as she pursues her goal!