GUELPH – Students in elementary and high schools in the Wellington Catholic District School Board have opportunities to participate in an array of experiential learning programs.
These programs include co-op, apprentices, dual credits, competitions, fairs, building a shed for Habitat for Humanity and making meals for Royal City Mission.
During a board meeting on April 7, students told trustees and board officials about how experiential learning programs have impacted their lives.
Charlotte Boire and Lucie Moore are Grade 8 students at St. Mary Catholic School in Elora who competed in a health and safety competition during a Skills Invitational event at St. Joseph Catholic School in Fergus.
Boire said the competition challenged her in a new way as it was completely different from her usual activities and required her to “think critically and pay attention to even the smallest details.
“Throughout the competition I learned a lot about the importance of communication and teamwork,” she said.
While she is used to working with a team while playing sports, Boire said “this was a different type of teamwork.
“Overall this experience helped build my confidence and showed me learning new skills outside of my comfort zone can be rewarding and enjoyable.”
Moore said the competition involved identifying hazards and creating solutions to keep a workspace safe.
“It was also about thinking ahead to prevent accidents or injuries before they could even happen.”
She said this taught them the importance of safety and “how tiny actions can make a big consequence.”
She described the competition as “a rewarding and challenging experience” that offered a “chance to learn under pressure.
Moore and her partner won the Skills Invitational, and are set to compete in a provincial competition in Toronto on May 5.
Mason Azeredo is a St. James Catholic High School student who has participated in co-op, dual credit, apprenticeship and Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) programs.
Though these experiential learning pathways Azeredo said he was able to find a career he is passionate about and fast-track his way into it, having already completed his level 1 trucking coach certification.
He said he was attracted to experiential learning because he “knew these programs would give me an opportunity to gain experience … and have a positive impact on my future.”
Spending time doing the hands-on work confirmed for Azeredo that “for sure working on trucks was the way I wanted to go.”
He said he “highly recommends” other students sign up for experiential learning “because even if you’re unsure of your career path, trying something outside of high school is a great experience.”
Fernando Barahona is a Grade 12 student at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School who has also participated in co-op, dual credit, apprenticeship and SHSM programs.
Barahona said he jumped at the opportunity to participate in the SHSM program because he “knew it would help in the future,” and signed up for co-op because he “heard from friends who took co-op that they had enjoyed the class.”
He also wanted to sign up for both of these programs because he knew he works best with a hands-on approach.
His experience with the programs has been positive, and he described how “supportive instructors push students to do their best.”
“These programs have helped me prepare for post secondary education [and] helped me look forward to what I will do in the future,” Barahona said.
To anyone considering signing up for experiential learning, Barahona said “You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying something new … and best of all, they are free!”
Sage Davies-Hopkins is a Grade 12 student at St. John Bosco Catholic High School who has explored trades and heavy equipment by participating in co-op, dual credit and apprenticeship programs.
“I like constantly learning and trying new things and these programs give me opportunities to do just that,” Davies-Hopkins said.
She did a welding co-op that has given her a job opportunity after high school and a pathway to working towards her welding ticket and welding Red Seal.
Davies-Hopkins said experiential learning also opened doors for her to “meet new people and get a feel for what college would be like.”
She encourages others to “take the risk and step out of your comfort zone because you won’t know if you like them until you try.”
Domenic Franchetto is in Grade 12+ at Bishop Mac Catholic Elementary School and has participated in co-op, dual credit, apprenticeship, SHSH and plumbers’ union programs.
His school work included working on trucks in an autoshop and working paving with Capital Paving at the South End Community Centre, and eventually helped him land on something he really enjoys: plumbing.
What he likes most about experiential learning is that his classmates were enthusiastic and really wanted to be there every day.
Franchetto is an assigned apprentice now, with his “first paid week (coming up) in two weeks – not bad, eh?” he chucked.
Nathan Hasson is a Grade 12 student at St. James Catholic High School who has participated in co-op, dual credit, apprenticeship and SHSM programs. Hasson said he was interested in experiential learning because he knew he wanted to pursue a career in trades.
He said there were many benefits of each of the programs, including free training, making connections within the community, earning college credits and “seeing what working in skilled trades was like before starting college and entering into the workforce.
“All of these programs helped me with planning post secondary education,” he said.
“I got to figure out what I did like to do on a job site and what I didn’t like to do.”
Hasson has enrolled in an electrician program at Fanshaw College for next year.
