By Rawan Elagami and Allie Goodyear
The leaves are changing and there’s a chill in the air: it’s fall and the start of a new and exciting school year! The students at Notre Dame High School (ND) are settling in and the corridors are filled with enthusiasm and anticipation for what’s to come.
By means of introduction, our names are Rawan Elagami and Allie Goodyear, and we are the co-presidents of the ND Student Council for the 2022-2023 school year. As co-presidents, it is our job to plan the events and activities that make high school memorable. As Grade 11 students ourselves, we understand that this school year is a very important year for our peers—it is the first “normal” school year in three years.
ND students want to make this year the best one yet and are keen to get involved. We have seen tremendous numbers of students getting involved in our student council, Black Students Association, arts programming, sports teams, leadership programs, and other clubs that our school has to offer. In September, we had our first student council meeting, and were astounded to see over 70 students in Grades 9-12 interested in participating.
The COVID-19 pandemic limited the kinds of events that our student council could plan, so we are excited to bring back the experiences that our students have been missing.
We kicked off the school year with a spirit week at the end of September, and had so much support from students and teachers. We are planning on reviving our traditional teacher vs. student sport competitions—these events were always popular in the past and are a great way for students to build school spirit and become involved in our community. Later on in the year, we are hoping to have a school dance and our own ND Oscars. In the meantime, our next big project is setting up and running a haunted house for Halloween here at the school.
Our school prides itself on its diverse student population from different cultural backgrounds and traditions. During the month of February, we are planning all sorts of learning activities and cultural events for Black History Month. ND’s very own Black Students Association is meeting weekly with its members where we, along with other schools within the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB), are getting ready to attend the annual OCSB Black Student Forum. It will be the launchpad for many great ideas on ways to celebrate Black History Month. ND’s Student Council and Black Students Association are working together to plan a really amazing cultural event.
We are looking forward to making memories and putting our plans into action. This year is going to be full of joy and excitement for Notre Dame students. If you would like to follow along, feel free to follow our student council Instagram page, @notredameeagles