National Student Leadership Delegates Report to Board of Education

The Sun West delegation to the Canadian Student Leadership Conference (CSLC) attended the regular meeting of the Sun West Board of Education on December 16.

Every year, Sun West School Division sends a delegation of students to the CSLC. It is a national conference of student leaders and advisors with delegates attending from every province and territory that is usually hosted in a different location every year. This year's CSLC took place October 4-7 at Camp White Pine near Halliburton, Ontario.

The Sun West Delegation consisted of nine students from eight Sun West schools as well as three adult advisors, who were among over 600 delegates from across Canada. Due to weather issues, only three of the students could attend the Board of Education meeting in person but the remaining five still participated online. The students provided a very extensive report about conference activities and the value of the conference to the school division, their schools, and to themselves.

The students experienced speakers and workshops on mental health advocacy, reconciliation, sustainability, and school culture and climate. CSLC featured motivational talks from guests such as professional athlete and Olympians Larrissa Franklin, who shared her experience battling cancer. Other notable speakers that the students said impacted them included Ian Tyson, Scott Hammel and Chris Elliott. Students also engaged in interactive sessions designed to build confidence, teamwork, and community commitment, drawing on themes of resilience and empowerment that define the conference’s legacy.

Every Sun West student currently in Grades 8-11 can apply to be part of Sun West delegation to CSLC 2026. Application information will be sent out in the spring.

The picture above features the Board of Education and Sun West Senior Administrators with the CSLC delegation. The group in the room are (left to right) Chris Oscar (Superintendent responsible for Student Leadership Program), Ryan Smith (Superintendent of Business), Terry Hall (Trustee), Holly Goddard (Trustee), Ivan Taranukha (Biggar Central School 2000), Cathy Laventure (Trustee), Yevheniia Taranukha (Biggar Central School 2000), Michele Whitfield (Trustee), Jennelle Minish (CSLC Advisor), Wade Halliday (Rosetown Central High School), Vanessa Lewis (CSLC Adult Advisor), Michelle Zacharias (Trustee), Karen Blackwell Jones (Trustee), Fritz Eckstein (Trustee), and Darryl Seguin (Director of Education).

The group online, (top, left to right) Finn Low (Davidson School), Peighton Oickle (Kenaston School), Trudy Wiebe (Westcliffe Composite School, Marengo), (middle, right to left) Elizabeth Oakland (Eston Composite School), Matthew Possberg (Loreburn Central School), Lindsay Shaw (Trustee) (bottom, left to right) Cathy Morrow (Trustee), Julia Wiens (Beechy School), and Kristin Sampson (CSLC Adult Advisor).