This afternoon, students from our Junior and Middle Schools demonstrated how kindness, collaboration, and respect can spark positive change in our community. Members of the Middle School Community Service Council and Grade 5 students from the Junior School Leadership Council came together to work on a meaningful project with a direct impact on families in need this holiday season.
The students’ collective efforts centred around the Holiday Hampers program, which will support 40 families through the Rideau Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre. To raise awareness for this important initiative, the students collaborated to create vibrant posters promoting the Holiday Hamper Toy Drive, a program in which every Junior School student is participating.
Building Bridges Across Grades
The 35 Grade 5 students were split into small groups and paired with members of the Middle School Community Service Council, which includes Grade 6, 7, and 8 students. In their new roles as mentors, the older students guided their younger peers in designing eye-catching posters that provided key details about the toy drive—highlighting which toys are needed, where donations can be dropped off, and why this initiative is so important to the community.
The energy in the Multi-Purpose Room (MPR) was contagious, with peals of laughter and words of encouragement echoing as students worked together, sharing ideas, offering support, and celebrating each other’s contributions. This collaborative spirit was a clear reflection of the values that underpin our school's value of Cultivating Connections where kindness, collaboration and respect hold the power to inspire positive change.
A First Step in a Growing Partnership
This collaboration between the Junior and Middle School is one of the first joint projects of its kind, and it is just the beginning. Thanks to the vision and leadership of Junior School Prefect Temi Adekeye and Community Prefect Sarah Di Silvestro, the project exemplified the power of student-led initiatives to make a meaningful difference. The positive energy and enthusiasm displayed today set the stage for many more collaborative efforts between the Junior School and “the Big School” in the future.
For more details on the Junior School Holiday Hamper Toy Drive, and to see the creative posters that the students designed, be sure to check out the vibrant and informative displays around the Junior School!
In the end, today’s project wasn’t just about creating awareness for the toy drive—it was a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved when students of all ages come together with a shared sense of purpose and a commitment to making the world a better place.
See the full gallery from today's activity here.