Celebrating Student Achievement - The Oxford Founder’s Society Competition
We are incredibly proud of students in the Grade 9 Entrepreneurship and the Grade 10 Business for their outstanding performance in the Oxford Founders Society Entrepreneurship Competition. This prestigious global entrepreneurship challenge, run in partnership with AlgoEd, tasks students with bridging the gap between big entrepreneurial ideas and real-world impact. Elmwood students collaborated in teams, pitched their ideas and competed against teams from across the continent, and their innovative ideas didn’t disappoint!
The results were truly world-class - Collaborative teams from Elmwood placed:
- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in Canada
- 1st and 3rd in North America
- Special Merit Award for innovation and impact!
Every collaborative team demonstrated incredible creativity and entrepreneurial thinking. Congrats to all who participated!
Sofia & Yixiao
Public waste bins in growing urban areas often overflow before collection, creating unsanitary conditions, harming the environment, and negatively impacting the appearance and livability of cities. Overflowing garbage can also discourage tourism, reduce community satisfaction, and increase maintenance costs for municipalities.
To address this issue, we developed TrashMash, an innovative public waste bin featuring a manual compacting system. By allowing users to compress trash using a simple foot pedal mechanism, TrashMash significantly increases bin capacity without relying on expensive technology. Combined with durable, sustainable materials and a low-maintenance design, the solution helps cities reduce overflow, lower costs, and maintain cleaner, more efficient public spaces.
Jessica & Emberlynn
While modern smart cities focus heavily on efficiency and sustainability, many urban designs inadvertently overlook the needs of the visually impaired, making independent navigation difficult and sometimes dangerous. With over 2.2 billion people globally living with vision impairment, more than half struggle to navigate their surroundings on their own. Common environments like busy sidewalks, echoey rooms, or loud restaurants can become overwhelming barriers that lead to a lack of inclusivity and representation in our public spaces.
To solve this, we developed SoundScapes, a discreet, earbud-like device that allows users to "hear" exactly where objects and obstacles are located in real-time. Using advanced AI and bone-conduction technology, the system scans the environment and translates surroundings into intuitive directional audio cues, allowing users to stay aware of real-world sounds like traffic while receiving guidance. By providing hands-free, voice-activated assistance, SoundScapes empowers individuals to navigate the world confidently and effortlessly, aiming to eliminate up to 60% of mobility-related incidents and foster a truly connected, inclusive world for everyone.
Khrystyna, Chenyi, Macy (Macy is missing from the photo)
Traditional traffic lights are often inefficient because they operate on fixed timers rather than real-time road conditions. This can lead to unnecessary waiting at red lights even when there are no vehicles or pedestrians present, which increases traffic congestion, wastes drivers’ time, and contributes to higher CO₂ emissions from idling vehicles. It can also delay emergency vehicles, such as ambulances, when every second is critical.
To address this issue, we created Traffix, a smart traffic light system that uses cameras and AI to monitor road activity in real time. Instead of relying on preset timing cycles, Traffix adjusts traffic signals dynamically based on actual traffic flow, pedestrian presence, and road conditions. This allows for more efficient movement through intersections, reduced congestion, lower emissions, and faster response times for emergency services.
Kianna, Adeline, Luoling
Accessing basic healthcare in Canada has become increasingly difficult due to a critical shortage of doctors and overwhelming patient volumes. This has led to devastating consequences, with over 23,000 patients dying in a single year while waiting for essential surgeries and diagnostic scans. The current system struggles to provide timely care, especially for those in rural areas or Indigenous communities who lack immediate access to medical facilities.
To bridge this gap, we developed Pocket Care, a portable, hand-held blood testing device designed to bring diagnostic power directly into the home. By using just a few drops of blood on a disposable strip, the device can screen for a wide range of conditions, including anemia, diabetes, and even certain types of cancer. Pocket Care integrates AI to interpret results in real-time, providing users with a simple Health Score and clear next steps in over 50 languages. By automatically sending high-risk data to local hospitals, our system ensures that the most critical patients are prioritized, reducing wait times and saving lives across the country.