The Parent Involvement Committee is very pleased to once again to support virtual learning sessions throughout the winter and spring.
Our next session is on March 31: Nicole St. Jean, Sudbury and Area Victims Services, will talk about increased internet use, signs to look for, grooming techniques and resources. This is important information for every parent to know. We hope to see you there and also encourage you to share this invitation with others.
This session will take place on March 31 from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Zoom.
On Monday, March 8th over 100 Marymount Students joined Skills Ontario’s virtual conference in celebration of International Women’s Day 2021! This event was dedicated to empowering women through relatable and engaging conversations. This year, International Women’s Day’s official theme was: Choose to Challenge.
“A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day. We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world. From challenge comes change, so let’s all choose to challenge.” (IWD 2021)
Students heard how tradeswomen are shattering stigmas and stereotypes surrounding sexism, working in a male-dominated industry, being an inspiring female entrepreneur, maintaining work-life balance, and more. The Skills Ontario International Women’s Day Conference 2021 provided viewers with the opportunity to listen and to engage with women working in skilled trades and technologies. Women who are exploring and entering these careers were able to hear firsthand from women in the industry on their experiences and advice.
Students listened to encouraging messages from highly respected and influential leaders and tradespeople, including former Regal Tessa Gooden, (class of 2009) now a music producer and sing/songwriter, the Honourable Jill Dunlop, Associate Minister of Children’s and Women’s Issues, Jill Timushka, welding instructor/inspector and Hilary Noack, Owner of Ink & Iron an all-female auto body shop.
The conference ended with Principal Cassandra Tenbergen addressing her students. “Today I encourage all girls to reflect on and honour powerful women in their life and who inspires them, as they become our strong, future leaders of tomorrow.”
On Saturday, February 27th Marymount’s Ethics Bowl Team will be discussing and debating a variety of topics with other secondary school students from schools all over Southern Ontario. During an ethics bowl, teams of secondary school students discuss ethical dilemmas taking place at the forefront of world politics. There is a competitive design to “The Bowl,” however respecting and embracing the opportunity to share perspectives remains at forefront of every competition. A panel of professionals (i.e. university professors, lawyers, and doctors) critique each of the teams while they compete and act as judges for the competition. Teams will be competing in this provincial competition to try to earn Ontario’s spot at the national competition taking place in the spring. Here are a few quotes from our Regals who will be participating:
1) Catherine St-Jean (Pic 1)
“I am thankful to have the chance to participate in this year’s Ethics Bowl. I look forward to hearing different perspectives and reasonings regarding the cases being discussed.”
2) Jennifer Qiu (Pic 2)
“I’m thrilled to participate in the Ethics Bowl. It’s a wonderful opportunity to collectively strive for a deeper understanding of critical issues. It’s important to have these discussions that allow for a wider perspective of our world, which leads to meaningful change.”
3) Katherine Brown (Pic 3)
“I’m excited to participate in such a unique competition. I hope to learn about different perspectives and to broaden my own views.”
4) Vanessa Ferrucci (Pic 4)
“I’m very grateful to be apart of this year’s Ethics Bowl, and to learn more about the serious issues that face our society”
5) Lauren Petherick (Pic 5)
“I am looking forward to participating in the Ethics Bowl this year. I’m excited to explore the many facets of different issues facing the world today.”
Dan Bartolucci who is a Program Leader at Marymount and who helped prep the girls had this share “I am so impressed by this initiative and how the students on our team have embraced the opportunity to participate in a formal, respectful and insightful dialogue with their peers from schools all over southern Ontario. They are our future political leaders, our future doctors, professors, and lawyers. The Ethics Bowl provides a framework and venue that focuses on respectful and active engagement, in many cases, with those who may have opposing perspectives. When these kinds of conversations take place in such a manner, there is one clear winner, and that is democracy itself. Growing up with a father in politics, I learned to respect the perspectives that everyone brings to the table, as that is the true beauty of living in a free and democratic country. We are all entitled to have our say.”
You can learn more about the Ontario Ethics Bowl at:
