The District School Board of Niagara has approved a million-dollar expenditure on the Specialist High Skilled Majors program (SHSM).
As a result a number of schools will receive added benefits.
Thorold Secondary School will receive support for three of their SHSM programs: their communications program will receive additional Apple IMAC computers. There will be upgraded drill presses and a pedestal grinder brake for the Manufacturing and Welding program and in the transportation program, there will be upgrades to the tire changer, a 4-post hoist and a 2-post hoist, a wheel balancer and a vehicle scanner/diagnostic.
Pelham’s E.L. Crossley will receive funding for their electricity and transportation programs with renewable energy work stations, LED lighting with control boards and a vehicle scanner.
For many years the emphasis has been on students going to post-secondary and the trades were a less valued pathway. However, with more and more employers searching for skilled trades people, the trend in education seems to be moving to a better balance between academics and the trades. This give students more choices as they plan their futures and the DSBN is taking a positive approach to providing the educational pathways that will lead all students to jobs with a great future.
Many people have been asking about the field at Crossley. They are refurbishing the athletic field. In the 2018-2019 school season, the school board is investing approximately 1.7 million in upgrading the field at Crossley. Westlane and Port Colborne secondary schools are also getting new fields. The money comes from the provincial government’s school renewal budget. The field at Crossley will feature an eight-lane synthetic track with a synthetic turf soccer field in the middle. In addition to benefiting the athletes, the even surface will make access for students with mobility issues much easier and will help to foster inclusion. The projected finish date for the field is late spring, 2019, depending on weather conditions. The project start in September was due to the fact that the field had been rented for the summer to various groups of young people for soccer, etc., and the DSBN did not want to disappoint them or make them scramble to find alternate arrangements.
All the DSBN fields are fenced and gated to provide student security and to avoid the misuse of the fields after hours by motorized vehicles, ATVs, etc. The public and community can still access the field after hours by using the Community Use of Schools Booking System on the DSBN website
This update was provided by DSBN Trustee Nancy Beamer
Reach her at [email protected]
