Black Gold launches first annual skill & talent showcase for Inclusive Education students
Inclusive Education (IE) students from across Black Gold are celebrating the life skills and creative talents they have honed through the school year at the first ever division-wide showcase.
Black Gold Student Services Coordinator Jody Waechter, alongside her team, designed the life skills showcase and launched it this year. It was inspired by a similar initiative in Edmonton, but adapted specifically for Black Gold students.
“The idea is that IE kids may not have the opportunity to compete in the regular skills competitions, but it's cool for them and for their parents and families to share what they are skilled at,” says Waechter.
High School students from throughout the division were invited to participate in the showcase with the options of demonstrating skills in cosmetology, foods, woodworking, or the arts.
Students began this year's skill options in January and had four months to practice and hone their skills prior to the showcase. Then after the event, all participating students received certificates of achievement alongside some Black Gold swag and gift cards to Dollarama.
“One student from Ohpaho said this is the first time she’s got a certificate in school,” says Waechter, tearing up, "It's incredibly meaningful to see a student experience that.”
The showcase was online, with participating students completing the requirements at their own school and then submitting pictures of themselves with their work to be featured in a division-wide online showcase.
In Cosmetology, students demonstrated skills in various braiding techniques and nail art, while woodworking and foods students' projects included items like birdhouses and cupcakes. In the arts, students submitted a variety of creative work ranging from paintings and drawings to sculptures.
“This competition might spark some ideas for these kiddos about what jobs they might do after high school ” Waechter says, “Activities like this really give them a chance to gain confidence and think, ‘Oh, I can do this thing.’”
Waechter says the goal for next year's showcase is to host a live event during exam week in January so students can utilize the labs and studios on site for their skills.
The division will also invite Junior high students to participate in the showcase next year, in a similar fashion to the process of this past year's showcase. Students will demonstrate their skills at their own schools and then submit images of themselves with their projects to be displayed in an online showcase.
Waechter describes the initiative as her “passion project,” and it was truly a meaningful initiative for everyone involved.
