At OMS, our vision is a peaceful, global community where individuals are joyfully engaged in contributing to the well being of all life. But this isn’t something we just post on our school wall or publish in our parent handbook. Instead, you can observe students, staff and parents living our vision, each and every day.
Being an active, contributing member of society is something that is encouraged and nurtured starting in our Toddler Program and continuing throughout The Element. We have a strong sense of community within our school, but our efforts stretch far beyond our classroom walls. Every December, we participate in a Snowsuit Fund Drive, where families can donate used snowsuits to families in need. This year, we involved the students in this great initiative with lessons on winter gear and having them help us wrap the donation boxes.
A parent also reached out to us, after her daughter lost a mitten and she didn’t know what to do with the single mitt. After contacting the Snowsuit Fund, she decided to collect single mittens in a separate box, and then try to match them to the best of her ability. This was an excellent example of how different members of the OMS community come together to support the greater local community.
In addition to our annual campaign for the Snowsuit Fund, we have ongoing student-led fundraisers throughout the year. At The Element, our students recently donated $132 to the Canadian Cancer Society.
The money was raised during their spirit week, which included: moustache Monday, twinsy Tuesday, wacky Wednesday, twilight Thursday, and frightful Friday (which fell on Halloween). It was a great way for our students to give back to the greater community.
Students at the Upper Elementary level, often explore different fundraising initiatives independently or with a friend. In October, two students heard about the vulnerable Red Panda and were determined to help through the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Collectively, the two students fundraised over $160 by raising awareness through presentations and posters.
After collecting the money, the two students were responsible for physically donating the money online (http://www.wwf.ca/), with the assistance of our Finance Officer. This is an important part of the process, as it helps students complete the fundraising process through to the end. This inspiring initiative was entirely student designed and executed!
As a school, we came together in November to mark Universal Children’s Day and students at The Element gave a presentation on children’s rights. They presented to students,staff and parents at OMS, and to our special guests, Mayor Jim Watson and MP David McGuinty. Our guests then made their own presentations, bringing awareness to a very important cause: Children’s rights.
As this year comes to a close, it is amazing to think about how many lives the OMS community has positively impacted. And students are already planning their fundraising initiatives for 2015: Two students are researching World Vision to see how they can participate in their “Education For Girls” campaign leaving no doubt that we will continue to contribute to our community at large, while simultaneously strengthening the values we instil inside the OMS Community.
