Student Trustees

The Ontario Public Student Trustee Leadership Scholarship (2022-23)

Deadline: April 28, 2023

Background Information

The Ontario Public Student Trustee Leadership Scholarship is an award jointly provided by the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) and the Public Board Council of OSTA-AECO. The intent is to recognize outstanding achievement in a leadership role and provide financial support to a graduating public board student trustee to assist with their post-secondary education plans (University, College, or Apprenticeship).

Student trustees represent the voice of students in decisions on education, and keep students informed of the changes in education which affect them. They play an important role in the education governance process and are actively working at the local board and provincial levels on a number of initiatives.

This scholarship is based on an outstanding initiative accomplished during the student trustee’s term and how the initiative positively impacted the students in their board. Two scholarships, in the amount of $500 each, will be awarded.

Selection Criteria

The successful recipient must:

• Be a student trustee who completed a one or two-year term at a public school board and will be continuing their education in a post-secondary/apprenticeship setting in Fall 2023
• Submit a completed scholarship application that highlights a student trustee’s successful leadership initiative that made progress in ensuring the education system better reflects student needs and priorities

All submissions will be reviewed by a committee composed of OSTA-AECO’s Public Board Council executive members and trustees on the OPSBA-OSTA Liaison Committee.

Key Dates 2022-2023

October 17, 2022 – Initial applications sent to all English public school board student trustees

February 10, 2023 – Application reminder sent to all English public school board student trustees

April 28, 2023 – Application deadline

May 12, 2023– Selection deadline by the OPSBA-OSTA Liaison Committee

May 19, 2023 – Announcement of successful recipient

Application Process

Applicants are asked to explain in a maximum of 200 words their suitability for the Ontario Public Student Trustee Leadership Scholarship. All applications must be accompanied by two letters of reference, one of which must be from a senior executive or member of the local school board. These two letters must be from individuals in two differing roles (i.e. not two trustees). Letters of reference must be on official letterhead and include electronic or manual signatures. Reference letters should be at least one page, and no longer than two pages, with a font size of 11 or 12.

To apply, please review this fillable PDF and send the relevant information to OSTA-AECO’s Public Council Board President Tiya Patel at Tiya.Patel@osta-aeco.org by April 28, 2023. If you are unable to complete this application due to accessibility issues and have specific alternative format requests, please contact Tiya Patel.

Please Note:

The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) and the Public Board Council of OSTA-AECO are committed to equity and inclusion in the selection of the successful applicant and encourage submissions from student trustees who represent the various dimensions of diversity. Both Associations are also committed to providing a barrier-free and accessible application process. Should you require accommodation, please contact OSTA-AECO’s Public Council Board President Tiya Patel at Tiya.Patel@osta-aeco.org.

Winners of the 2022 Scholarship

• Vandy Widyalankara, Halton District School Board (HDSB)
  Vandy is a Grade 12 student at White Oaks Secondary School in Oakville and has been a student trustee for two years. Vandy’s leadership initiative was creating a centralized forum for students to voice their concerns and identify improvements – the Student Human Rights and Equity Committee. The Committee is to launch officially in the Fall of 2022. It will be open to all students within HDSB schools and in particular those whose social identities have been impacted by systemic oppression and colonialism. Vandy has been an impressive student leader beginning with being an HDSB Student Senator in elementary school and a member of her secondary school’s Student Government. Vandy’s future plans include attending Queen Mary University of London and studying English and European Law.
• Michael Yao, Rainbow District School Board (RDSB)
  A Grade 12 student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, Michael Yao was instrumental in the organization and oversight of the “Stand Up Speak Out” conference – a conference for students, by students. This was particularly important given the pandemic. The conference included leadership speakers on topics of business, academics, health, reconciliation, and equity and inclusion, with keynote speaker Sunjay Nath. Michael has shown his leadership qualities through his commitment to student government. He plans to attend McMaster University and is enrolled in the Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences Program.

Winners of the 2021 Scholarship

• Firdaus Shallo, Toronto District School Board (TDSB)
  A Grade 12 student at C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Student Trustee Firdaus Shallo has shown community leadership since a young age and has impressed her teachers, fellow trustees, and senior school board staff alike throughout her year as student trustee. Firdaus has been featured in the Toronto Star, and created the Ward 4 Community Advisory Council to counter and de-centre dominant narratives surrounding the Jane-Finch community where she lives – an area that has always been perceived as having high crime rates. She plans on attending Middlebury College in Vermont and double majoring in International and Global Studies and Computer Science.
• Joy Liu, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB)
  As Student Trustee for the OCDSB and a Grade 12 student at Colonel By SS in Ottawa, Joy Liu led a campaign and motion to fund free period products in OCDSB school washrooms called the ME (Menstrual Equity) Project. While drafting the motion for the ME Project, Joy made sure to consult multiple stakeholders including LGBTQ+ student clubs and the Student Senate. Two unique clauses were created – that products also be placed in male washrooms and that students be educated on how to actually use the products. Joy says the ME Project will improve school participation for OCDSB students for years to come by ensuring that no student missing access to period products needs to miss class, leave school, or use substitutes like toilet paper. She will be attending Yale University in the fall with a double major in political science and French or political science and economics.

Winners of the 2020 Scholarship

• Anumita Jain, Greater Essex County District School Board
  A Grade 12 student at Vincent Massey SS in Windsor, Student Trustee Anumita Jain spearheaded the creation of the Association’s Handbook to Menstrual Hygiene Accessibility as co-chair of OSTA-AECO’s Student Well-being Working Group to help student trustees in other boards address the inequities in access to menstrual hygiene products in schools. Following the successful production and distribution of the handbook in February, she launched a board-wide consultation of students in Grades 6 to 12 through the Student Senate in March. After five months of work, on May 19, Anumita brought a motion to the board to ensure menstrual hygiene products would be provided for free in female and gender-neutral washrooms by June 2022, which was unanimously passed by trustees. Anumita will be attending the University of Windsor for a Bachelor degree in Behaviour Cognition and Neuroscience, and plans to attend medical school afterwards.
• Prasith Wijeweera, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB)
  As Student Trustee for the OCDSB and a Grade 12 student at Bell HS, Prasith Wijeweera spearheaded a report and consultation asking Ottawa’s City Council to improve bus services for students. Some students in the city were busing up to two hours daily, an inequity given that many were in English as a Second Language or Special Education programs. Prasith compiled thoughts from 50 students into a report and sent it to City Councillors. After a four month process, OC Transpo staff announced that improvements would not be possible due to a lack of resources, but they did alter departure times to reduce connection waiting periods for students. Prasith is encouraged that transit staff acknowledged the report and did make some changes to service. He will be pursuing a Bachelor of Civil Engineering in Public Transportation at the University of Waterloo where he will be motivated to work on improving transit systems.

Relevant Documents and Links Related to Student Trustees

• Ontario Regulation 7/07 – Student Trustees
• OSTA-AECO Student’s Vision for Education – May 2019
• Results of the 2017 Ontario Student, Parent and Educators Survey
• OPSBA letter to the Minister of Education regarding the role of Student Trustees
• OPSBA’s comments on the Role and Responsibility of Student Trustees
• Hicks Morley legal update on Student Trustees