HPEDSB secondary students attend Student Voice conference at the Education Centre
May 1, 2023—On Friday, April 28, secondary students from across HPEDSB gathered at the Education Centre in Belleville for the Student Voice Conference.
Hosted by incumbent student trustees, Lawson Hung, Shoshannah Spencer and Julia Webster, the collected students discussed the duties and scope of student trustees in detail, shared ideas about what student voice means to them, and participated in several activities centred on the conference’s theme of mental health and mental health supports available to students.
Director of Education, Katherine MacIver presented an overview of the different roles and responsibilities from the Ministry of Education through to teachers and support staff, before addressing the importance of student voice and involvement in board functions and strategy.
Students had the opportunity to openly share the priorities and issues at their respective schools to benefit from the successes and collectively strategize how to best support the identified needs.
The conference concluded with an election for the students who will represent their peers as trustees for the 2023-2024 term. After the past few years of virtual conferences due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the day was a welcome return to in-person sharing, collaboration and networking for students from all HPEDSB secondary schools.