ASSINIBOIA — More than just centres for learning, Assiniboia schools continue to engage students in their community with several activities and initiatives. In turn, this connects more people with the staff and students and helps build a stronger community.
Opportunities to help contribute to students’ social development, Assiniboia schools help build better citizens by getting them involved and engaged in their home community.
Hosting various extracurricular activities helps develop key life skills, leadership qualities and a sense of civic responsibility. Collaborating with local businesses and community members helps strengthen the schools’ ties to the local area.
Schools hosted tournaments, science fairs and provincial events bring people into town. This often results in economic spinoffs.
From hoops to hope, Assiniboia Composite High School pink game is a showcase of community camaraderie initiated by the school’s basketball team as they work to raise funds for cancer causes, as well as offering financial and moral support for a community member who may be challenged with a cancer diagnosis.
The pink game caught on across the province and Assiniboia event organizer, Al Wandler, reports funds raised from these games since inception totalling $480,251.50, with the ACHS contribution $97,721.82.
What are the ripple effects in both school and community from such an amazing initiative?
“It is a massive event in our community that everyone takes part in,” Wandler says.
“We have thousands of dollars in merchandise being donated from many businesses and community members for our online auction and penny parade raffle.”
Wandler reports this event has become larger than just a high school event as the local Kinette Club has helped a great deal. The pink game encompasses the whole community.
ACHS Wall of Honour boosts hometown connection. A sense of pride and belonging comes from hometown connections, many of those created and nurtured during high school years. Success stories past high school are talked about in the community but Assiniboia Composite High School has taken these sources of community pride to another level.
The ACHS Wall of Fame was started in 2010. Nine inductees are currently included and range in accolades from the arts to academics and other avenues of life.
The showcase where the Wall of Fame is located highlights the recognition of former students and teachers, ACHS past and continues the rich history of the high school since it opened in 1962.
The purpose of the ACHS Wall of Fame is to recognize individuals who have attended the school and have had a significant achievement on the provincial, national or international scene. It is also meant to recognize those individuals who have been part of the ACHS family for a significant number of years and have contributed to the development and betterment of its students.
Did you see the Assiniboia Times issue that included kid-created advertising for local businesses? Allowing the students to shine in the eyes of the community is a big benefit to this newspaper and classroom partnership.
The Grade 8 artists have received feedback from businesses that commented that some of this student artwork is their favourite ads they place in the paper, while other people in the community have let the classroom know how much they enjoy this edition of the paper, where these students’ advertisements are included.
Kindness rocks in Assiniboia as students collaborate to create and open a kindness garden located at the Town of Assiniboia office.
The Grade 8 classroom goal was to paint rocks with inspiring and uplifting messages or different logos and characters to place in the rock garden beds at the town hall outdoor space. There is a sign with a message encouraging people to take one for inspiration, share one for motivation or leave one to help the garden grow.
The collaborative project is meant to create a positive place for people to enjoy, but more importantly to connect the elderly with the youth, as they created many of the initial rocks placed in this garden together.
Undertaking an activity like this with students is yet another showcase of community classroom teachers’ commitment to finding ways to build citizens while engaging the classroom in learning opportunities that bridge generational gaps and connect students with others in the community they live.
