The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, December 9, 2011 · 18 Community spirit at Iroquois Ridge H.S. in high supply: student Grade 11, Iroquois Ridge H.S. I roquois Ridge High School (IRHS) is more than a school, it's a community of students that comes together to support each other and their local and global communities. Within the school walls, classes are dynamic and interesting, and there are programs to meet the needs of all learners. At Iroquois Ridge, every student's opinion matters, and students have the opportunity to voice that opinion. Since students are leaders in the school, it is a place that they are proud to be a part of every day. With more than 50 different clubs and groups all focusing on student interests, students have the chance to lead and get involved in their school. Their passion about what they do is shown in school spirit every day. Whether it's choosing to educate themselves about safe driving during an awareness campaign with local police officers, or belly dancing for a cure after school in the cafeteria, the students at Iroquois Ridge participate. Throughout October, IRHS became Partners in Pink to help cure cancer. In November, students cheered from the stands at McMaster University, supporting both junior and senior football teams in the Halton football finals. Coming up on Feb. 22, the IRHS Student Voice Committee will host its fourth annual Student Engagement conference, ONE, for Halton's Grades 8 and 9 students and school leaders to promote leadership and involvement. The spirit and energy of the stu- dents extends to their involvement in the Halton District School Board Student Senate, Ontario Provincial Youth Advisory Board, Halton Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Junior Civitan. Students also meet with school board Superintendent Stuart Miller, Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn -- the Ontario Minister of Education -- and other officials, to help make IRHS a place where everyone feels welcome and valued. Recently, these students worked to review the civics and careers curriculums, and create an anti-bullying video for the It Gets Better campaign. Students help build the leadership capacity across the region by running the annual Halton Youth Leadership Symposium, and participating in the annual Ontario Student Leadership Conference -- the largest student leadership conference in Canada. Internationally, IRHS raised enough money to build schools in Kenya and Haiti and continues to raise additional funds to support those schools each year. School trips to other countries connect IRHS students to a global community of diverse cultures. Beyond extracurricular activities, students are passionate about many educational pathways including Specialist High Skills Major programs in both art and design, and business. Since teachers give students the opportunity to complete assignments in the way that best suits their learning style -- such as seminars, scientific papers, models, interactive presentations, etc. -- students can succeed in ways that highlight their strengths. A focus on self-directed learning, allows students to be betterprepared for their post-secondary pathways. Recently, students have introduced a Town Hall, where they come together to discuss issues that are important to them. Topics vary from the school board's nutrition guidelines to the cleanliness of the school, but whatever the issue, students provide achievable ideas and solutions. This is the spirit, enthusiasm and dedication of Ridge. HERITAGE Lifestyle Home Furnishings ood ade id W M Sol adian room Can Bed SINCE 1977 INCREDIBLE SAVINGS FOR A LIMITED TIME DURING THE "DURHAM FURNITURE" FACTORY AUTHORIZED SALES EVENT! 4205 Fairview Street, Burlington · 905-634-5298 www.heritagefurniture.ca