Due to weather conditions, schools are closed to students – including the limited number of students who’ve been in school buildings this week: children with diverse abilities and students whose parents or guardians are essential workers. This decision was made after careful consideration of all the circumstances.

Learn More About Winter Weather Procedures

Posted 22.01.06

The post Schools Closed to Students Due to Weather appeared first on Burnaby Schools.

Students, families and school staff are working together to make high school graduation celebrations as special as possible, as the pandemic has impacted typical commencement and grad celebrations for the second year in a row.

While the Class of 2020 had their graduation plans upended after COVID-19 changed everything last March, this graduating class is the first to have their entire school year disrupted by the pandemic. Building on last year’s creative celebrations, all high schools across the District will be incorporating a virtual event in recognition of the Class of 2021, as well as small in-person opportunities strictly adhering to health and safety protocols put in place by the Ministries of Health and Education.

In the buildup to graduation, schools have tried to maintain tradition, as much as possible with “Grad Spirit Week” involving multiple activities, and “Formal Day” – complete with an opportunity to take socially distanced photos with friends while dressed in their graduation finest.

Virtual and small in-person ceremonies are taking place throughout the District beginning June 9 with the first of the special Honouring Our Youth events for Indigenous students planned for each school. All of the ceremonies for students include a welcome and opening provided by Elder Latash Nahanee from the Skwxú7mesh Nation and Elder Roberta Price from the Coast Salish Territory of Snuneymuxw and Cowichan Nations, with additional blanketing teachings shared by the Elders as part of the Honouring Our Youth celebrations.

Secondary school events for the school’s entire Class of 2021 are taking place between June 21 and 29. Students will have an opportunity to maintain a rite of passage in the smaller in-person portion: walking across the stage in their cap and gown, receiving congratulations from their principal and having a photo taken. The virtual event for students and their families and friends includes time-honoured traditions, such as the school valedictorian and principal’s addresses, performances, presentations, and recognition from the Chair of the ƽ��һФͼ and the Superintendent.

Jen Mezei, Chair of the ƽ��һФͼ has a message for graduates:

Your final year of high school has been dominated by something that is out of your control. Whether you learned primarily in school or virtually at home, we truly appreciate all you have and are experiencing. Graduating during a pandemic is one of your accomplishments. The grit, resilience, and adaptability you have shown will serve you long after COVID-19.”

In planning their school leaving ceremonies this year, schools have gathered input from their grad councils, graduates, staff, and Parent Advisory Councils.��The Ministry of Education provided guidance to support school leaving ceremony planning throughout BC, in alignment with provincial health guidelines. The key parameters that grad organizers are required to follow for in-person “individual” ceremonies are:

• each student may have a maximum of four guests (plus additional children under age 12 who require supervision), and if indoors, guests should be members of the student’s household(s) or someone who lives on their own but regularly interacts with the occupants of the household(s).
• gathering and crowding must be prevented at all times, with guests abiding by all required safety measures.

Provincial direction also allows for non-school, community-organized private events, which must have a and adhere to the .

While it’s not what students imagined their final year of high school would look like, the school community is working together to provide events that allow for the space to honour, reflect and celebrate the incredible achievements of the Class of 2021.

Posted June 2021

The post Celebrating the Class of 2021 in a Pandemic appeared first on Burnaby Schools.

From small to large awards, every little bit helps students to achieve their post-secondary dreams. Several of the scholarships have been significant in value, such as the following. Here are some highlights of the many scholarships awarded in recognition of graduating students and their amazing accomplishments.

Owen Ebose from Burnaby North Secondary was awarded a full-ride scholarship to Harvard University.

Also at North, Claire Scrimini earned a TD Scholarship for Community Leadership valued at $70,000. Her twin sister Vanessa also won scholarships, including the Queen’s Chancellor Scholarship for $36,000.

Carlos Georgescu from École Moscrop Secondary is the Schulich Leader at the University of British Columbia, winning an $80,000��scholarship.

Several outstanding student athletes also received athletic scholarships collectively valued at approximately $2.3 million acknowledging their skills and grades.

Every scholarship can make a big difference to students. New this year, and only for students in the Burnaby School District, is the Clint Morrison Scholarship. The $500 scholarship is for a student enrolled in a pre-employment program or an ACCESS program, who is registered for post-secondary courses or job-training in 2021-22 and has demonstrated community mindedness. Burnaby Mountain Secondary’s Megan De Marchi is one of the winners.

Eight students from the District were also awarded the Beedie Luminaries Scholarship of $40,000 each:

Burnaby North Secondary

• Siham Abdelhameed
• Michelle Nguyen
• Logan Wilmarth

Burnaby Mountain Secondary

• Gaeun (Amy) Nam

Burnaby South Secondary

• Younathan Terefe

Byrne Creek Community School

• Sana Alzaza
• Henok Kibrea Dubus

École Moscrop Secondary

• Emily Wong-Abdul

Congratulations to all scholarship winners, graduates, and their families.

Read the Stories in the Media

Burnaby Beacon, July 7, 2021

Burnaby Now, July 6, 2021

Burnaby Now, July 4, 2021

Burnaby Now, June 16, 2021

The post Grads Earn Millions in Scholarships appeared first on Burnaby Schools.

The City of Burnaby’s recognized the work of the Burnaby Youth Sustainability Network – a student-led group from across the District, and a multi-year winner. Each year BYSN organizes, plans, and executes conferences to build awareness of sustainability. BYSN won an Environmental Star Award in the Youth category for their outstanding environmental leadership and ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability through school programs.

École Alpha Secondary student Lilah Williamson – seen above centre and right speaking and posing for pictures with peers at the District’s We Mean Green Conference in early 2020 – was awarded an Environmental Award in the Youth Category. She is a founding member of Sustainabiliteens – a local youth climate action group. In selecting her for the award, the City highlighted her outstanding commitment to climate activism through public engagement and awareness.

Iva Staykova, a Grade 12 École Moscrop Secondary student who is also in the Graphics & Media Arts Program at Byrne Creek Community School, designed the winning flag (above left) for the Easter Seals AccessAbility Flag Design Contest in celebration of National AccessAbility Week in BC and the Yukon. Her design was chosen out of 800 entries from students in Grades 6-12 and earned Iva a $200 honorarium. Easter Seals is dedicated to providing programs and services to persons with diverse abilities. about the contest.

Burnaby Mountain Secondary students Eric Kong, Sasha Kovalev, Anthony Zang, Rian Popat, and Michelle Zhou won silver and bronze medals at the BC Chemistry Olympiad, securing the place of top ranked school in BC.

École Cariboo Hill Secondary Grade 12 student Rosa Warkentin took silver at the National Microsoft Office Specialist Championship in the PowerPoint category.

Burnaby Mountain Secondary’s Math Department Head, Jen Reily, received the Ivan L Johnson Memorial Award from the BC Association of Math Teachers. The award recognizes dedication and excellence in teaching math.

Posted July 2021

The post Students and Staff Shine: Awards and Competitions appeared first on Burnaby Schools.

At the instigation of an international student at Burnaby Central Secondary, a group of students collected almost 1200 used books to send to children who are learning English overseas.

The idea came from Alivia Truong who is from Vietnam. She noticed that in her home city of Hue, there was a large demand for English books, but many children had barriers – financial or otherwise – to getting them. She proposed to Burnaby Central’s Business Club the idea of a book drive to support English fluency for children in Vietnam. That idea grew into a team that the students named Pages to Places. Here’s how they describe their mission:

We know that education is the gateway to opportunity, but limited resources prevent access to quality learning. As a result, Vietnamese students’ English exposure is limited to dry grammar and vocabulary lessons which are less applicable to daily life. We seek to overcome this by donating lightly used books and shipping them overseas. Donating these books will inspire children and nurture their passion for English.”

The books they collected range from picture books for younger readers to fiction for older students. The donations will go to three schools in Vietnam. In order to get the books to learners there, the students in Pages to Places connected with the Vietnamese Embassy in Canada to arrange to have the books taken on a government flight.

Pages to Places are already planning future efforts to inspire children’s learning in more countries.

See the stories about the group in the media, and hear the interview on CBC Radio with Alivia:

CBC News: Early Edition, June 28, 2021

Burnaby Now, June 22, 2021

Posted July 2021

The post Students Support Learners a World Away appeared first on Burnaby Schools.