Students do well at National wrestling finals!
Congratulations to Sam Muddiman and Kynan Dicker who took part in the Canadian High School Wrestling Championships in Vancouver, March 23-25.
Kynan claimed a bronze medal while Sam won sixth! Great performances by the two Ranchero Grade 8 students!
Student's work included in national anthology
Congratulations to Scarlett Verkeek!
Scarlett, a Grade 10 student at Pleasant Valley Secondary School, has had her short story chosen as one of the works to be featured in the Lonely Planet anthology!
Scarlett entered the Polar Expressions Publishing, National Student Poetry and Short Story Writing Contest. Out of thousands of entries from across Canada, Scarlett's work was selected in the first round of judging. Her short story will be published in the "Lonely Planet", an upcoming collection of Grade 9 - 12 short stories.
Her story now advances to the final round of judging competition and could win a cash prize (placings to third). All student and school final place winners will be announced, and prizes awarded, in June 2023.
"Scarlett is naturally talented writer, with a prowess for descriptive writing and fantastic plots," says teacher Sara Allen.
Shuswap Youth Launch!
Wali Shah, Missy Mackintosh, and Sam Demma will headline Shuswap Youth Launch, a one-day, local and virtual, youth empowerment day, organized by local youth for local youth! This day, set for April 27, is designed to include youth aged 13+ from throughout the Shuswap and beyond to experience inspiring speakers in a fun inclusive environment and help broaden youth perspectives.
Check out available district scholarships
Do you have a child graduating this year? Due to the generosity of our communities, there are scholarships and bursaries which students can apply for.
A number of the scholarships are district-wide scholarships and these can be applied for on-line between April 1 and April 30. Students can check it out here.
Although this page is still under construction (we hope to eventually have information about each scholarship donor along with the scholarship criteria and amount), students can view the information that is available so far.
This link also includes a description of the District Dogwood Authority Awards (which students apply for through their school), and upcoming scholarships. A link is available on the school district website under student links (www.sd83.bc.ca) or on each of the SD83 high school websites!
Students receiving tree plug to plant for Earth Day
To celebrate Earth Day, which is on April 22, each student in SD83 will be receiving a tree. It is hoped that each of the district's more than 7,000 students will take the tree plug, plant it and help it flourish!
One of the organizers is Kim Fulton, an environmental educator as well as a retired teacher and principal, who comments the trees are a living symbol of many things, including stewardship of the land and hope for the future. There can never be too many tress!
He adds trees are amazing and do many things for the earth including cool the environment, give oxygen, reduce carbon dioxide, stabilize soil, and are a home for wildlife.
Best Laid Plans plays at SD83 middle and high schools
Best Laid Plans, a band based out of Victoria but whose members live across Canada and the USA, has been performing in SD83 middle and high schools this week!
District Music Vice Principal Michelle Reed said she heard the band at the pre-concerts at Roots and Blues in Salmon Arm and went and talked to them about the possibility of performing at the schools. She noted this multi-genre band uses instruments such as the trumpet, trombone, and tenor sax, which parallels what students learn to play in our band programs. She said they do some pedal effects, digitizing sound, and live looping that she thought students would enjoy. This is the first school concert series Best Laid Plans has done and Reed says it has been a hit! She gave special thanks to Salmon Arm Folk Music Society (who organizes Roots and Blues) for their support for this school concert series. They jointly sponsored the school concerts by providing the band with sound technician Larry Keats, and a battery powered PA system to use for the concerts.

PVSS Salon granted full SkilledTradesBC designation!
Congrats to teacher Jaime Russell as the PVSS hairstylist program has been granted full SkilledTradesBC Red Seal Hairstyling Program designation as a foundation program!
The program started with a new group of student in February. Amid the safety, theory and practical classes, one activity that the students are doing is that hairstylists and hairstyling students are coming in to receive a scalp massage, shampoo and style, in exchange they are providing their professional feedback to the students! This is continuing on April 17, 24, May 8 & 15 from 10 a.m. to noon. If you are a hairstylist or hairstyling student and would like to help this new group out please call the salon at 250-546-4817 to book.
You can follow the class on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/pvss_hair_program/
Sloan singer spends afternoon with Hillcrest students
Students at Hillcrest Elementary had quite a treat as they got to sing and hang out with the bassist/vocalist from the band Sloan, Chris Murphy, on March 6!
The school entered the CBC Canadian Music Class Challenge performing Sloan's song The Rest of My Life. Although they didn't win, they did finish in the top 10!
Sloan was performing at Song Sparrow Hall in Salmon Arm and music teacher Brook Roberts arranged for Murphy to come visit the school, spend time with the students and sing with them.
Girls' rugby gaining popularity in Salmon Arm
A strong season last year with a combined Jackson/Sullivan girls' high school rugby team has set the stage for a team from each school for the 2023 Spring rugby season.
Teacher Jenna Elidoros, who coaches along with Grace Fulton and Michelle Hoekstra, says they are thrilled with the turnout of players! She said there are 13 to 15 players for a team at Jackson and a team at Salmon Arm Secondary (Sullivan).
On March 16-17 the SAS team went to Victoria to take part in the Westshore 7s . The team played three games, where they had a win and two close losses. "Half of the team is new and they played amazing." Elidoros notes rugby is very big in Victoria and they were playing some very highly skilled teams.
She adds a highlight of the tourney was that SAS player Olivia Johnson was named Most Valuable Player (MVP)!
Highland Park students take part in art contest!
Jenny Daughtry's grade 4 class at Highland Park took part in a City of Armstrong contest to submit artwork to be featured on the City of Armstrong's decorative street banners. The banners will hang on the street poles from 2023-2025 and will showcase what Armstrong means to its residents.
The theme was summer/spring: flowers & blooms, or winter: winter sports & activities. Daughtry said that sadly none of the students' designs were chosen but they had a lot of fun with this project!
District Art Fair another success!
Young students from throughout the district had their art work on display at Piccadilly Mall in Salmon Arm from March 2-10 as part of the annual SD83 Elementary District Art Fair.
On Wednesday, March 8, a group of students from each participating school had the opportunity to work with local artisans trying their hands at such things as pottery, fibre arts, pen and ink drawing, and more!
Interested in Late French Immersion?
For any families who have a student(s) entering Grade 6 in the 2023/2024 school year, the Late French Immersion Program at Shuswap Middle School might be for you! There is still time to express your interest for this exciting opportunity. Fill out the form below!
Board passes school year calendar for 2023-24
The Board of School District No. 83 (North Okanagan-Shuswap) approved the 2023-24 school year calendar at its regular meeting on March 14. The approved calendar includes a non-instructional day on the Tuesday, September 5 and a half day session on the 6th. The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation will be on October 2.
Healthy Schools Tip
Play is more than fun and games!
Above all, outdoor play – with the risks that come with it – can bring many benefits for children. For example, outdoor play, such as independent exploration, rough-and-tumble play, climbing, chasing, building, and so on, can promote children’s social and physical development, emotional well-being, self-confidence, risk management and physical activity. Worrying comes with parenting – but evidence reminds us that over-protecting our kids might rob them of exactly what they need. You might want to check out this series of podcasts, featuring a Canadian leader on this topic, which reminds us that “popping the bubble wrap” can be good thing. It also features strategies to help your children grow and flourish! The days are getting longer and warmer – no better time to get outside and play (and that goes for us adults too!).