Student Government

Athletic Council:

Over the Christmas break, Athletic Council hosted a brand new virtual event: “Sports Night at STL.” Our goal was to connect with students by creating a fun and engaging atmosphere from the comfort of their own homes. With hundreds of daily participants, this event was a huge success! It was able to captivate STL school spirit and passion for sports in a virtual setting. Daily trivia questions were posted on our STL Athletics Instagram and students actively competed for a spot on the leaderboard. Congratulations to the top 3 winners in a nail-biting finish. AC would like to thank everyone who contributed to this event’s success!

Throughout the next couple of months, Athletic Council will be focusing on our next event: “A Lion’s Tale.” We are showcasing the experiences and expectations of being on a high school sports team. We hope to encourage students, especially Grade 9s, to partake in our STL athletics program when it resumes in the near future. By interviewing coaches and athletes, we are assembling on our Athletics Instagram account any sports-related questions students may have. Weekly videos will be posted from now until June, as we aim to provide all students with an inside perspective of the many teams at STL.

Written by: Faith Tadros and Romelo Perera

Chaplaincy Council:

On February 17th, Chaplaincy Council introduced their newest virtual event for the season of Lent, starting with an Ash Wednesday video reciting the prayer that would normally be said prior to the Distribution of Ashes. Additionally, a 40-day calendar was uploaded to Chaplaincy’s Instagram page, featuring a series of small daily challenges, or “fasts,” for STL students to try to complete throughout the Lenten season. These challenges were designed to help the students get more involved in the spirit of growth and change, without feeling intimidated by the prospect of giving up one particular thing for a prolonged period of time. Throughout the 40 days, members of Chaplaincy Council will keep students motivated by posting short video clips of their Friday “fast” via STL and Chaplaincy Instagram stories.

This event will last until the beginning of April, on Easter Sunday. As that date draws near and the Lenten season approaches its end, Chaplaincy will also be posting the 14 Stations of the Cross on their Instagram page, as well as a template of the fifteenth stations for students to decorate and share. Through this virtual decorating activity, STL students will be able to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, spreading the message that He is Risen.

Written by: Lady Isabel Pimenta and Tobi Adesipo

Cub Council:

At STL, February can be quite a busy month for all those in charge of extracurricular activities! As the half-point of the school year has been passed, Cub Council has been diligently working on planning the events that will take place for the remaining half of the 2020-2021 virtual learning experience. So far, the Cub Council executives, led by president Nethmi Illamperuma, have prepared some exciting activities for STL’s grade 9 population!

To begin with, the council has succeeded in spreading the Little Way of Saint Theresa of Lisieux for both our cubs and general student body, through a pen pal mentorship program in collaboration with Diversity and Equity Council. Senior Student Government members were matched with grade 9 mentee applicants to provide them with greater insight into all things STL and the high school life. Cub Council also created an engaging Instagram post that advocated for the STL app and school website—resources essential to any student’s secondary educational career and community involvement. Cub Council has also begun its grade 9 lottery initiative, an event through which grade 9 members will be encouraged to become engaged and familiarized with the STL community, whilst also having the opportunity to be entered into a draw to win e-gift card prizes.

Looking towards the future, Cub Council has a number of events in the works! One of these fresh new events will be a virtual Q and A. This will give grade 9s the opportunity to ask questions about postsecondary pathways and opportunities, in an effort to help gain some knowledge about applying to different programs in their academic career.

Next, the council has also planned a Leadership Workshop for grade 9 students. Through this event, students will get to know what it means to be a multifaceted STL leader—whether it be through athletics, music, student government, or otherwise. Student representatives from various extracurricular clubs, committees and teams will be asked to speak on behalf of their group to introduce the grade 9s to new opportunities that can be found school-wide.

Another project the Cub Council team has been working on is a Grade Nine Token Event, which will be held towards the end of the year. Grade nine students will have an opportunity to send in their signatures, which will then be compiled into the number 24, as a token for this year’s grade 9 students to commemorate throughout high school.

Last but not certainly not least, is a Virtual Easter Egg hunt, which is scheduled to be a collaboration with Spirit Council in the month of April. This will be yet another fun way to connect STL’s freshmen not only with each other, but with the rest of the student body and all that STL has to offer during these difficult times.

Overall, Cub Council hopes to continue to welcome the grade 9 students to their new home, and keep the vibrance of the STL spirit just as active virtually!

Written by: Jennifer Serbanescu and Nethmi Illamperuma

Diversity and Equity Council:

February was Black History Month, a month dedicated to celebrating the impact and contributions of people of African descent. STL’s Diversity & Equity Council aimed to create content to educate and to bring light to many important Black figures in World & Canadian history. Content published included resources, videos from notable speakers, workshops, and audio content. Through audios, students are able to familiarize themselves with influential figures such as Harriet Tubman and Maya Angelou. These audio clips serve as a snapshot of time and of someone’s impact. They can hear first hand how many of these historical advocates campaigned against the status quo. Through the videos, students are able to further understand the importance of making changes in the system and learn first-hand from people like the honourable Jean Augustine, who was responsible for designating February as Black History Month in Canada. Beyond the past, these videos allow students to associate themselves with present battles for change. It’s important to understand that these issues are not “done,” and that there are often causes that even students can make a change to. The social media posts and in-class workshops allow people to learn more about the cause and provide them with resources to research and become more cognizant of important events. The Diversity & Equity Council’s primary goal and messaging is to educate and emphasize Canada’s theme for the month, “Going forward, guided by the past.” As the world continues to progress and establish its identity in love, acceptance, and diversity, it is imperative that we do not forget history. We should not forget or discredit those who have suffered for the racial justice we have today, who advocated for it, and allowed for change.

Written by: Michelle Wan

Environmental Council:

Since February 8th, St. Theresa’s Environmental Council has been providing weekly Enviro tips to the student body in hopes of promoting simple ways to maintain a sustainable lifestyle. If you want to gain a deeper insight into living an eco-friendly life, please look out for these posts on Enviro’s Instagram page. Environmental Council will include lots of information, such as ways to properly dispose of your masks and short blurbs about how interacting with nature can improve your mental health. A new tip will be posted every Monday on the @STLCHS Instagram story, as well as on Enviro’s own Instagram page, @enviro.stl. Each member of the council is working hard to create these posts to inspire students to further their contributions towards a more sustainable way of living on this planet. Please look forward to these tips! We hope that they can help to start the week in a positive, productive way.

Written by: Neika Zawar, Yoojin Han, and Maggie Zhang

Intramural Council:

Intramural Council is a group of friendly and enthusiastic leaders who share a love of sports. Our council is dedicated to promoting inclusivity within the STL community through sports and esports. Since this year has presented our school community with various challenges and changes, the Intramural Council is effortlessly working to adapt to the virtual world in order for students to participate in the comfort of their own homes.

Intramural Council has preserved the STL community's running fun events while staying safe. In February we had two great events: STL’s Top 10 Winter Highlights and the Exercise Challenge. STL’s Top 10 Winter Highlights gave students a chance to showcase their favourite sports' highlights and moments before the pandemic, as well as to create new ones during the pandemic. This fun competition was inspiring for the STL community as a whole, engaging the school and getting a sample size of the STL community's athletic talent.

As we approach summer, Intramural is planning on hosting a Top 10 Summer Highlights event! Our 4 week exercise challenge was a great way for our students to compete against each other for a prize. Numerous male and female students completed the weekly exercises encouraging physical activity and resilience. Intramural Council’s events allow students to interact with one another outside of the classroom, adding to their high school experience and building new friendships.

Follow our Instagram page @stl_intramural_council where we post council related events and donation drives. So far, the STL community has been very engaged in our activities and we look forward to bringing you more. Intramural Council would like to thank our teacher advisors for encouraging these council activities. We would also like to thank the STL community for their participation allowing us all to create memorable experiences, regardless of the circumstances.

Written by: Ethan Morelli

Social Justice Council:

Despite the challenges of running two of Social Justice Council's major events - Operation St. Nick and Valentine’s for Vets - virtually, both events ended up being a huge success. In the month of December, STL showed the giving spirit as well as embodied St. Theresa’s “Little Way” in several ways. Running our annual OSN event, the STL student body stepped up this holiday season by donating and spreading the holiday cheer. In the end, we were able to raise over $900 in donations for 360 Kids Richmond Hill, a sum that no doubt helped many disadvantaged youths in our community. The month of February is about love and acknowledgement, and Social Justice’s form of displaying this was through our Valentines for Vets event. Valentines for Vets asked students to virtually submit heartfelt messages to Veterans which would be distributed to them through Veteran Affairs Canada. Students were given the choice of designing their own cards or submitting a message to be transposed onto physical cards for mailing. With the help of the student body, STL has been able to let Veterans know how much we appreciate their sacrifices during these difficult times, and how they embody “the Little Way” by doing little things with extraordinary love!

Written by: Fatima Varela Varela and Niki Alizadeh Saghati

Spirit Council:

Spirit Council enjoyed planning STL's Christmas Spirit Week. Some of our activities included Finish the Lyrics: Christmas Edition, Do You Want to Build a Snowman, Christmas Recipe Book and Christmas Tree and Wreath Decorating Contest. Even though we could not celebrate Christmas the way we normally would, we managed to keep the spirit alive. For this year’s Valentine's Day, Spirit Council filled our St. Theresa school community with love and appreciation through an e-card event! Students sent their close friends, sweethearts, and besties heartfelt messages. Members of Spirit put the messages into cards and emailed the letters out to recipients on Friday, February 12; a total of 103 cards were sent! Additionally, students were treated to a Spotify playlist with Valentine's Day themed songs. Thank you to everyone who listened and participated! Since Valentine's Day is over, Spirit is excited to celebrate Easter with St. Theresa this year. Our first Easter event includes guessing the number of chocolate eggs in a jar. Next, we have a virtual Easter scavenger hunt. Our members are teaming up with Cub Council to create clues that lead students to their final destination. Not only will we arrange for individuals to have a fun time searching for the next hint on STL related Instagram accounts, but we will also introduce the grade nines to the various clubs that are continuing amidst the pandemic. Come join our first ever virtual hunt as prizes will be awarded to the winners. Spirit Council is very excited to celebrate Easter with STL this year!

Written by: Alia Ginevra

Student Council:

In December of 2020, Student Council held their first-ever virtual social for the STL student body. Almost 100 participants partook in a Kahoot activity and a team-based jeopardy game. While virtually interacting and having fun with their peers, students also had the opportunity to learn about ways to promote mental health during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Prizes were awarded to top teams in the form of Starbucks and Amazon gift cards, as well as SPC Cards. Student Council members worked diligently for weeks to prepare these STL-Specific Jeopardy and Kahoot games, organize participants and teams, and create advertisements for the occasion. It was a huge success! Student Council cannot wait to host another virtual event sometime in the near future. Thank you to everyone who participated in our event!

Another activity Student Council initiated was the annual Student Price Card (SPC) sale. This year the Student Price Card sales at STL took on a new platform by being completed entirely online. For those who purchased the SPC Card, enjoy shopping at your favourite stores while getting great deals!

Written by: Mira Bhattacharya