His Royal Highness The Duke of York Visited Lakefield College School For Its Annual Regatta Day

Lakefield College School was delighted to welcome His Royal Highness The Duke of York on Saturday, May 25th for the school’s annual Regatta Day celebrations. 

With one of the largest waterfront properties among Canadian boarding schools, the waterfront plays a significant role in the education of its students. For over 140 years, the school has been providing meaningful experiences through boating, canoeing, kayaking, sailing and other activities connecting students to the water and their environment, and Regatta Days are a longstanding tradition.

His Royal Highness The Duke of York speaking at Regatta Day (photo courtesy Lakefield College School)

More than 700 students, staff, parents, alumni and friends joined in on the Regatta Day activities, which included an address from His Royal Highness The Duke of York. During his address, His Royal Highness The Duke of York spoke of his passion for Lakefield College School, referring to the time he spent as a student at LCS in 1977 and his belief in the school’s strength as an education leader.

“I recognized, whilst I was here, what this school meant to me. And I suspect those of us who have actually been here, understand what I am talking about. It is about the friendships that you make. It is about the environment in which you live, it is about the relationship that you have with your teacher, and the inspiration that they can give.  And if you combine that, and many other things, into consideration, it has made the most significant impact on each and every one of us who have been here.  I have always maintained very close relationships with what goes on here, because I believe that this is the school that leads when it comes to innovation in education, innovation when it comes to the way that we respect, and the way that we work with our environment.” 

Watch the highlights from Regatta Day here…

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Hepburn Family Makes Whopping $15 Million Donation To Lakefield College School

On Tuesday (May 7th), two Lakefield College School families expressed their support of the school through commitments of very generous gifts totalling $18 million.

Alumnus John ’68 and Jane Hepburn have made a $15 million commitment toward the school’s new dining hall and other strategic priorities. The Hepburn's gift represents one of the largest single donations ever made to an independent school in Canada. 

Left to right: LCS Board Chair Nicole Bendaly '93; John Hepburn '68; Head of School and Foundation Anne-Marie Kee; Jane Hepburn; and LCS Foundation Board Chair Jock Fleming

The new dining hall has been identified as one of the major priorities under “Community First” in the school’s latest strategic plan and will be situated in the heart of the beautiful campus, which is located on Katchewanooka Lake.

A gathering place for the entire community, the dining hall will be designed to strengthen and enhance the student experience and will be named in honour of the John and Jane Hepburn Family. 

"With this new dining hall will come an array of opportunities for us to connect and learn from each other, as one community in one inspirational space,” says Anne-Marie Kee, Head of School and Foundation.

Lakefield College School campus

In addition, the Parent Family confirmed their intention to make a very generous gift to the school of $3 million towards a new student residence. Parent House will complete the proposed double residence, which includes Ross House (announced last spring) and will be designed to strengthen their new “Community First” house model.

This gift is made by Marc Parent in honour of his children Alexandre '15, Sabrina '18 and Stephanie '20 in gratitude for the indelible mark the school has left on their lives.

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Explore Fleming College At Their Spring Open House April 6th

Hundreds of prospective students will have the opportunity to explore Fleming College at its annual Spring Open House.

The College will host its Open House from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 6th at its campuses in Peterborough, Lindsay, Haliburton and Cobourg, and at the eastern Ontario Emergency Training Academy (EOETA) in Norwood.

Photo courtesy Fleming College

The College will host tours of the campuses and residences as well as offer information sessions on Financial Aid Options, On-and Off-Campus Housing, and Transitioning to College for students with an IEP. 

Photo courtesy Fleming College

To showcase the hands-on learning that takes place at Fleming, many of the programs will provide live demonstrations of learning activities:

• Sutherland Campus: Sensory room experience, immersive virtual reality simulation and freshly baked cookies in the Culinary lab.

• Frost Campus: Geology demonstrations in the newly renovated Geo Centre, climbing demonstrations, Blasting Techniques demonstrations, running diesel engine demonstrations and horizontal directional drilling simulations.

• Haliburton Campus: Guests can watch students perform live art demonstrations in the campus studios.

• Cobourg Campus: Visitors can tour the Personal Support Worker lab.

• Pre-service Firefighter Education and Training program: Students applying for the Pre-service Firefighter Education and Training program are invited to visit the EOETA in Norwood (36 Industrial Dr.) where the program is now located. The EOETA has several established training environments including a burn tower, roof and door props, search and rescue maze, confined space prop, and new high-intensity propane training props. As part of the Open House, faculty and current students will be at the EOETA to welcome visitors, provide tours of the facility and perform live demonstrations.

Click here for more info on the Open House.

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Fleming College Opens Gorgeous New 76,000 Square Foot A-Wing At Sutherland Campus

After years of planning, design and construction, the A-Wing was officially opened on Wednesday (March 27th) at Fleming College’s Sutherland Campus in Peterborough.

Preparing graduates for the evolving workplace was the driving force behind the newly renovated wing. The updated space will serve more than 3,000 students, and the facility will ensure programs continue to provide effective training to meet the evolving labour market needs.

Photo courtesy Fleming College

“This is a tremendous milestone for the college and the updated A-Wing now better provides opportunities for our students to prepare for today’s dynamic workforce,” says Maureen Adamson, President, Fleming College.

“The multi-purpose facility provides increased capacity for on-campus work-integrated learning opportunities and great access to simulations for task-based and scenario-based learning. This is another way Fleming is committed to producing the preferred graduate.”

Photo courtesy Fleming College

Indeed, the 76,000-square-foot building has all the amenities for students: It houses programs that include nursing, biotechnology, fitness and health promotion, occupational therapy and physiotherapy, paramedic, and personal support worker, as well as programs within the areas of justice and community development, business and culinary management.

Filled with natural light, the A-Wing features modern aesthetic appeal rich in simulation spaces, formal and informal student areas, and leading-edge technology to further support applied learning and student success.

Kudos to Fleming, and all involved in this project.

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Fleming College Welcomes Autism Reality Experience To Sutherland Campus

Fleming College’s Developmental Services Worker (DSW) program and Child and Youth Care (CYC) program is welcoming the Autism Reality Experience to Sutherland Campus from March 11th to 14th. 

The Autism Reality Experience is designed to provide a virtual experience of living with autism. It is an immersive experience that gives participants greater insight into what it can feel like to struggle with processing sensory information and help participants see the world from an autistic person’s perspective.  

(Left to right): Child and Youth Care program coordinator Heather Sago; Developmental Services Worker program coordinator Ann Hines; and Professor, Simulation & Interprofessional Education Lead Wendy Morgan.

“At Fleming, we are committed to providing experiential learning opportunities for our students and exposing them to simulation-based learning throughout the course of their programs,” says Carol Kelsey, Dean, School of Health and Wellness, and Justice and Community Development.

“Hosting the Autism Reality Experience will give our students valuable hands-on learning, as well as provide important knowledge with our college community about autism, and a better understanding of the sensory processing difficulties faced by people on the autism spectrum,” adds Kelsey.

The initiative is connected to college’s investment in the newly renovated A-Wing learning labs. These modern learning spaces replicate a broad range of environments, from ambulances to hospitals, courtrooms to jail cells, and pharmacies to home settings. When coupled with cutting edge simulation technology, this means their students can apply what they learn in settings that feel like the real world, but are safe and engaging for everyone involved.

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3,000 Students From Nine Countries Connected With The Canadian Canoe Museum For Virtual Field Trips Last Year

Students from Argentina, India, Vietnam, Canada, Brazil, England, Ireland, United States and the Phillipines were among the more than 3,000 learners from nine countries who connected to The Canadian Canoe Museum via Skype as part of its virtual field trip program in 2018.

The virtual field trip program, Fur Trade Travels and Tales, explores the role of the canoe in the development of the trading networks, routes and relationships of the 18th century. Artifacts from the museum’s collection—the largest of its kind in the world—inspire discussion, drama and a visit to the Voyageur Encampment.

On an almost daily basis, museum educators are in the galleries, equipped with an iPad and extra lighting, interacting with classrooms of students from Grade 2 to Grade 12. Programs Coordinator Kelly Pineault, in character as a Voyageur, encourages classrooms of students to take up their imaginary paddles and keep a pace of 50 to 60 strokes a minute.

Photo of Kelly Pineault from virtual field trip lesson courtesy Canoe Museum

“Our programs aim to ignite imaginations,” says Ms. Pineault, who dons a toque and a chemise to become “Jacques” in this first-person interpretation. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see students engaged, regardless of the distance that separates us. I am continually impressed by the inquisitive nature of the students, and the thoughtful questions they ask about the museum and the history of Canada.”

In Fur Trade Travels and Tales, students learn about the key relationships between First Nations and newcomers during the era. Meanwhile, Canada By Canoe offers a whirlwind tour to diverse geographic regions of Canada to explore the traditional Indigenous watercraft and the diverse peoples who build them.

For classes within a two-hour bus ride, the museum also offers more than 20 hands-on, experiential education programs for students and youth groups from kindergarten through to university and college by day and overnight. In 2018, close to 5,250 students visited the museum in person. Field trips are guided by educators offering curriculum-connected programming in both French and English.

Learn more about the Canoe Museum and its local and global programs here.

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Incubated Startup Space For Hired Fleming & Trent Students Will Now Be Free Through New Graduate Program Partnership

Peterborough's Innovation Cluster is launching a Graduate Program for alumni of Fleming College and Trent University. Graduates hired by Innovation Cluster startups will now be provided free office space in order to further employment opportunities.

The Graduate Program was created in partnership between the Innovation Cluster, Fleming College and Trent University as an incentive that promotes the growth of entrepreneurship, employment and student opportunities in Peterborough.

Photo courtesy Innovation Cluster

“Fleming College and Trent University does a great job at bringing in National and International students,” says Michael Skinner, President & CEO of the Innovation Cluster. “We hope this program will retain this talent in our region.”

The launched program promotes startup companies located in The Cube incubator to hire locally through Fleming College and Trent University alumni, to increase both employment rates for Peterborough’s educational institutions as well as reduce cost for incubated startups.

Currently, startup founders pay a monthly fee of $100 per desk space per employee. This is still the case, however those with current employees who are Trent and Fleming graduates will not incur a fee for desk space, along with future alumni employees hired. Founders accepted into the program through the application process receive complimentary space to ensure that money is put to good use.

Multiple companies within the Cluster who have grown their team by hiring local graduates have been able to reach new milestones with the aid from their employees.

Andrew Revoy, based out of the Innovation Cluster, is a Trent University graduate and Senior Project Manager of startup company Kavtek

Andrew Revoy is a Trent University graduate and Senior Project Manager of startup company Kavtek, a client of the Innovation Cluster. Within four months of launching, Kavtek rapidly grew their team to keep up with the growth of their company, hiring software and project positions including Revoy, who says Trent University helped prepare for his employment.

“I'm really glad to be working at the exciting tech startup Kavtek here in Peterborough!” says Revoy. “I've always been interested in technology and business, which is why I studied Computer Science and Marketing & Entrepreneurship at Trent University. My degree in Computer Science gave me valuable skills which helped me stand out and the Marketing and Entrepreneurship Post Grad Certificate gave me the tools and an internship which allowed me to get started in my new career.”

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