Two new student trustees are taking their seats at the table this fall.
District School Board Ontario North East (DSB1) board of trustees approved the results of the student senate election at the May 7 meeting, putting two new teens in place for the 2024-25 school year.
Kateline Litt-Roy from Hearst High School and Aiesha Hindle from Kirkland Lake District Composite School will serve a one-year term. Hindle will be the Indigenous student trustee for that term.
Alexandra Gauthier from Iroquois Falls Secondary School will serve her second term as a trustee alongside Litt-Roy and Hindle.
In her second term, Gauthier wants to find ways to share more student perspectives.
“As student senators, they still aren’t active in representing all of the student body, so working on how to close that gap more,” she said at the meeting. “Especially our elementary students, because we don’t often talk about them, just the high school ones.”
Student trustees are elected by the student senate, which has up to three representatives from each of the nine secondary schools in the district. Students in grades 10 to 12 can run for the position and are selected by the student senate.
The student senate held a virtual meeting on Apri 25, and during their icebreaker activity, passed mock motions allowing for nap time and slushy machines in classrooms.
During the meeting, she spoke about the excitement and connections already forming in the team.
“I’m really hoping that we’ll be able to keep that interest going with next year’s senators as well,” Gauthier said. “We’re trying to come up with more activities to get them excited for those meetings.”
The mock motions put forward had support on the board.
“I want to know where the slushy machine is going to be, and please let me know what classroom nap time is in,” said DSB1 board chair Steve Meunier. “All kidding aside, very well done, and we appreciate the leadership you’ve shown.”
Hayden Bedard and Avery Beerman are the outgoing student trustees. Bedard is grateful for the experience.
“I’ve been so lucky to have this opportunity over the last two years,” he said. “I can’t thank the board enough for this opportunity.”
