Robots and more at Sisler High School

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/11/2014 (4170 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We want our youth to be ready for rewarding and in-demand jobs upon graduating high school.

The best way to do this is to engage students in their own education. By helping students discover their passions and then providing them with the opportunities and tools to pursue them we help young people become skilled in their area of interest.  

This is exactly what’s happening at Sisler High School. In addition to providing the basics of education, Sisler is bursting with opportunities for kids to put the things they’re learning to practical use.

Last week I met the Sisler North Wind Robotics team, and their mechanical creation “Maple.” They were putting Maple through her paces and making final adjustments before taking her across the border to North Dakota State University in Grand Forks. There they will be the only Canadian team competing in the Bison BEST Robotics Competition, so good luck North Wind!

I heard about the robotics team the night before at the Sisler Fall Feast. Planned and executed by the Afterschool Cookers, the feast was the students’ opportunity to learn every detail that goes into catering a large dinner. From the elaborate (and entirely repurposed and recycled) table settings, to planning the entertainment, to growing the food in the school’s own garden, these students did it all with enthusiasm and skill — and the food was delicious!

At the feast I sat with Principal George Heshka, who spoke enthusiastically about some of the school’s other programs. Sisler is working hard to expand their students’ horizons beyond the borders of our province. Teacher Jamie Leduc and his colleagues, for example, have started a videoconferencing series with their students. This has allowed them to debate with social studies students in Ukraine, observe and interact with a surgical team during a live surgery and learn first-hand through discussions with an astronaut and a Walt Disney animator.

Jamie was recently honoured with the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. In fact, he is the ninth Sisler teacher to receive the award since 1998, a Canada-wide record. Its little wonder that this past September, Sisler High School won the “Shifting Minds National Award for Educational Technology” from C21 Canada, a national not-for-profit organization that recognizes innovative leaders in education.

We hear so often that all kids do these days is stare at their smartphones, but I can tell you that, as we encourage innovative teaching, build new science labs and cutting-edge equipment in our Manitoba schools, it’s quite the opposite. Our NDP government has recently announced a $30-million investment to build and expand trade shops in high schools across the province.

Because of these investments and programs like the ones at Sisler High School, Manitoba students are learning how to use technology to expand their world in ways that previous generations could never have imagined.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns you can call my office 204-421-9414, email melanie.wight@yourmanitoba.ca, visit my office at 685 McPhillips St or find me on Facebook at Melanie Wight MLA.