NEWS RELEASE
DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD ONTARIO NORTH EAST
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Roland Michener Secondary School (RMSS) is pleased to announce the establishment of the Millennium Graduates Scholarship Fund. The fund will allow the school’s scholarship committee to annually award one deserving student the sum of $5,000 to be used towards post-secondary educational pursuits. The ongoing annual award has been made possible by a generous endowment from Class of 2000 grad, Allan Ritchie.
Ritchie is the Managing Partner of Toronto law firm, Loopstra Nixon LLP and is also the Global Chairman of Law Exchange International, a network of 34 law firms with over 2,500 lawyers worldwide. After graduating from the South Porcupine high school, Allan went on to earn degrees from Queen’s University, University of Toronto Law School, Ryerson Business School, Osgoode Hall Law School and is an alumnus of Harvard Business School. He is recognized as a leading international lawyer and last year was awarded one of the Ontario Bar Association’s top honours, the Lauren Rachlin Award for lifetime achievement in International Business Law.
“Although my days at Roland Michener ended over 20 years ago, my time with my teachers and classmates at RMSS contributed greatly to my success in both law and business. It is my hope that the establishment of the annual Millennium Graduates Award will make it a little easier for a deserving student pursue their post-secondary goals,” said Ritchie.
District School Board Ontario North East (DSB1) Board of Trustees are grateful for the ongoing support from donors towards scholarships and awards each year. “On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to thank Mr. Ritchie for his generous donation”, said Chair Brush. He adds: “The Millennium Graduates Scholarship Fund will undoubtedly support a positive future story for the recipients.”
The idea for the award came about through discussions between Ritchie and RMSS Teacher Jennifer McGinn in advance of a brief presentation Ritchie delivered to her Grade 11 law class. “Allan and I were discussing ways to encourage academic achievement and encourage students to strive for excellence in post-secondary pursuits and the idea for an annual award seemed like a great place to start,” said McGinn, herself a 2001 graduate of the school. The award is named in recognition of the students, teachers and staff that walked the halls of Roland Michener in the years around the turn of the century.
Kelly Cribbs, RMSS’s Head of Student Services said that "the Millennium Graduates Award will be our largest single annual award and will meaningfully contribute to the costs of tuition for the recipient."
Ritchie will also be the guest speaker for this year’s RMSS Graduation Ceremony to be held virtually on June 24th. "It's an honour to be asked to speak to the Class of 2021 as they embark on the next phase of their lives. It seems like yesterday that I was in their shoes and while the years after graduation will not always be easy, I'm certainly envious of the adventures that lay ahead for each of them."
RMSS oversees a number of student awards from community organizations, alumni and friends of the school. Cribbs said that "these awards can really help students who might otherwise forgo a college or university program". Anyone interested in contributing to a future award for graduating students should reach out to Cribbs at 705-360-8056.
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