Strathmore schools recognized at We Day

Melissa Strle
Times Reporter

 

Select students from different Strathmore schools took part in WE Day at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Oct. 26 with various world-renowned guest speakers and A-list entertainers.
Strathmore High School was one school amongst hundreds that was given special recognition this year.
WE Day is an annual “youth empowerment” event organized by Free the Children. The event started in Toronto in 2007 and is now held in cities across Canada, the United States, and the UK. WE Day motivates youth to take action on local and global issues.
Strathmore High School teacher Christine Magill said WE Day celebrates volunteerism and how that can transform communities and change lives. She characterized the day as “a giant pep rally for volunteering.”
Magill spoke for two minutes on stage at WE Day in front of thousands of students and teachers and talked about the WE Schools program and how empowering it is for students.
She spoke about the transformation she sees happen in kids when they’ve done the WE program at school.
“It creates an opportunity for kids to take action and change the world,” she said.
Students had to “earn” a seat to WE Day by planning one local and one global action to help improve their community and the world. Twenty-six students went from Strathmore High School. The students learned the full impact of giving, since organizers relayed overall statistics from all the schools such as total number of volunteer hours, cans of food raised, monies donated to local charities and monies donated to global charities.
The other part of the day was centered around how students can become involved in the future and what the options are for getting involved.
Speakers talked a lot about how they are passionate about the things they’re involved in and how they learn to turn their skills into action.
“A lot of it’s about how to take what you’re good at and what you’re passionate about and kind of combine those two things,” said Magill.
Speakers and performers at WE Day in Calgary included Chris Hadfield, Rick Hansen, Margaret Trudeau, Paula Abdul, Brett Kissel and Classified.
Strathmore High School students received front stage seats to sit directly in front of the stage and Magill said, “It was amazing.”
The students cited astronaut Chris Hadfield as one of their favourite speakers. He spoke about not seeing any borders from space and this provided a good perspective for the kids.
The students also loved the musical performances and found it amusing when Margaret Trudeau made a joke about Donald Trump.
“They thought that was pretty funny,” said Magill.
Strathmore High School has been involved with the WE movement for a long time. The school’s first trip to the Calgary WE Day was in 2010. The school then started a club in the fall of 2010.
Magill loved the empowering environment.
“I really feel that this year they’ve taken all the feedback from the last few years and really incorporated all of that – in the stage design, the way they involve the sponsors and the kind of performances and speakers they have,” she said.
Magill added the students “said that it’s really cool because they feel so happy about the work they did, but they also want to go out and do even more work after WE Day.”
Student testimonials:
“The WE Day trip was a great experience to meet other kids who want to make a difference in the world.” – Tyler Brassard, Strathmore High School.
“This year I learned that I have the ability to help give girls in other countries access to education and the supports necessary to be happy in life. This inspires me to do great things in my future, with my school and my community.” – Jaiden Molina, Strathmore High School.
“I was inspired by the different speakers and all their different challenges that they overcame through learning not just to think about themselves but to think of everyone going through similar or harder struggles.” – Reiley Folvik, Holy Cross Collegiate.
“I thought the day went great! The staff and volunteers were very fun and energetic. WE Day inspired me to try to make a positive change in the world.” – Reid Jensen, Holy Cross Collegiate
“WE Day was very inspirational and informative about making the world a better place for everyone.” – Callista Davis, Crowther Memorial Junior High School.
“It was actually really inspiring and empowering. The speakers had some really eye opening stories and experiences to share.” – Isabel Cook, Crowther Memorial Junior High School.
“[WE Day] inspired me when they talked about helping your community. I went door-to-door to collect food bank items to support our WE Scare Hunger food bank drive.” – Kaylee Mulek, Wheatland Elementary.
“It was inspiring when Justin Trudeau’s mom (Margaret Trudeau) said it doesn’t matter if you have a medical condition, you can do whatever you want.”- Austin McInnis, Wheatland Elementary.
“My WE Day experience was fantastic. I never took enough time before to actually think about other kids in need, but that day I did and I told myself that I can make a difference.” – Sophie Anderson, Wheatland Elementary.
“Being at WE Day was such an incredible experience because so many people told inspiring stories.”- Alyssa Bailie, Wheatland Elementary
“WE Day was an amazing experience. The speeches that everyone gave inspired me. Chris Hadfield’s speech was one of my favourites.” – Rhianna Porter, Wheatland Elementary.