A higher level of resiliency As we face this unprecedented time in our history, Pickering College’s staff and students have continued to meet the challenges head on. The Global Leadership Program, which prepares our students with the skills and integrative thinking abilities required to manage whatever the future holds, has offered a modified program of activities this year due to the pandemic restrictions. Though there are fewer opportunities for cross-class and cross-grade collaboration due to cohorting of students, the number of positives coming out of the modified program outweigh any drawbacks, believes Julia Hunt, Senior Director of Strategic Innovation. “We’re actually further ahead on a lot of GLP projects because we deeply considered what we needed to have in place to support student success during restrictive times where they would not have access to traditional community resources. So, with careful planning by all the faculty and staff, we were well prepared,” says Hunt. “We moved all of our resources and found digital components so that we were able to not only complete our projects but complete them with enough time for students to be really reflective about the work that they’ve done and what their next steps are going to be when restrictions loosen up.” EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING CONTINUES Experiential learning, where students have traditionally ventured into the community, is a big part of the Global Leadership Program. This year, PC’s faculty have been very creative in coming up with replacement activities that still provide that hands-on learning but in a
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way that is compliant with the school’s health and safety protocols. For instance, Grade 10 students typically travel to Toronto for at least one of their experiential learning opportunities, in addition to local destinations including the Quaker Meeting House on Yonge Street. This year, the Grade 10 GLP Team, Senior School faculty, partnered with Anishinaabe Cultural Consultant Kim Wheatley, an Ojibwe Anishinaabe Grandmother from Shawanaga First Nation Reserve who carries the spirit name “Shkoden Neegaan Waawaaskonen” (Head or Leader of the Fireflower) and who is Turtle Clan.
“This is different from what we have done in the past but, in my opinion, will offer a deeper consideration of the question ‘to whom does land belong?’ There’s more to it than that,” adds Hunt. PROGRAM DESIGNED FOR SUCCESS With students learning in person this academic year, the Global Leadership Program for Junior and Middle School, along with Grade 9’s Puma’s Den project, remain largely unchanged. However, our faculty have designed this year’s assignments so that they can be moved online at a moment’s notice. “The pandemic has prompted our faculty to really consider their program and how they could ensure that the kids are successful no matter what—so whether we are face-to-face or at home, teachers have spent a lot of time putting things in place so that all of the critical components will be completed,” says Hunt.
In early February, she began meeting with the Grade 10 students virtually to teach them about appreciating the land. “Pickering College is honoured to have Ms. Wheatley speak to and engage our students. She provided the context necessary for us to better connect to the importance of Pickering College’s Land Acknowledgement and gave us new understandings of Anishinaabe culture,” said Grade 10 GLP co-lead, Josh Armstrong.
For PC’s most senior students, the apex of the Global Leadership Program is the Capstone Project and this year has meant our students have needed to be creative in new ways. Rather than approaching organizations face-to-face, the pandemic has pushed students to develop their executive functioning skills of organization and interacting with adults by phone and by email. “It doesn’t sound like a lot, but for teenagers to actually go and on their own call an organization and speak to someone about their idea—it can be really tough for them,” says Hunt. ADAPTING LEADS TO INNOVATION Having to constantly adapt to changing circumstances has resulted in some innovative Capstone Projects this year. For instance, Thera Sze, Grade 12, developed a whole-school community-building program called the Puma Challenge. Knowing the importance of taking care of one’s physical and mental wellbeing,
