DCDSB Black Excellence Newsletter (May 2024)

Posted On Monday May 27, 2024

Dear Parents, Guardians and Caregivers:

We are pleased to be sharing our third and final Black Excellence newsletter for the 2023-2024 school year, with information, resources, and events that may be of interest to Black students and families at the Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB).

Register Now for CABS Multi-Sport Summer Camp
DCDSB's Coach/Advocates for Black Students (CABS), together with Archbishop Anthony Meagher Catholic Continuing Educaton Centre, presents the Multi-Sport Camp for DCDSB students who have completed Grade 6, 7, 8 or 9. Students will experience a fun, hands-on camp with a focus on strengthening literacy and numeracy skills. The camp is facilitated by Grade 11/12 DCDSB students, Durham Catholic District School Board teachers, and Morlan Washington, Coach/Advocate for Black Students.

Students in the Multi-Sport program will participate in a variety of recreational activities aimed at building leadership skills, fitness skills, peer relationship skills and community building.  Programming will focus on the development of the whole student, focusing on physical health. Through various games and activities, students will work on building their literacy and numeracy skills.  

Location: Archbishop Denis O'Connor Catholic High School (80 Mandrake St., Ajax)
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Dates:

  • Session 1: July 15 - July 19
  • Session 2: July 22 - July 26
  • Session 3: July 29 - August 2
  • Session 4: August 6 – 9

Cost: Free!

Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. For further details and to register, please visit our website.
 

DCDSB Anti-Black Racism and Black Excellence Advisory Committee Announces New Vice-Chair
On May 22, the Anti-Black Racism and Black Excellence Advisory Committee held an election for the position of Vice-Chair of the committee. Congratulations to Lateasha Chevers on your election! Lateasha will serve as Vice-Chair for a two-year term. To learn more about the Anti-Black Racism and Black Excellence Advisory Committee, please visit our website.

Deconstructing Anti-Black Racism – Grade 12 Course
Durham Catholic District School Board is pleased to offer the Deconstructing Anti-Black Racism (IDC4U) course to Grade 12 students. 

This course examines and deconstructs the complex nature of anti-Black racism in Canada, and within the broader North American context, through the study of historical oppression, via overt and covert means, as well as the political and social theories around Blackness. DCDSB students that are currently enrolled in the course share what they learned and experienced while taking the Deconstructing Anti-Black (IDC4U) course. Watch the video here.

To learn more or to register your child for the Deconstructing Anti-Black Racism course, please speak with your child’s secondary school Guidance department.

Career Panel and Drumming Circle at Durham Catholic District School Board
On Monday, March 4, 2024, Black students in Grades 9-12 were invited to a career panel and drumming circle at the Pope Francis Centre. This event was hosted in partnership with the Durham Catholic District School Board and e-CAMP MENTORing through the InterGenerational Hub Project. Students listened to panelists as they shared their career journeys, provided mentorship and offered insight into their future careers. 

Thank you to all of the students, staff and community partners for participating and making this event possible. Watch the video here.

Grade 7-9 Students Participate in Ubuntu Virtual Engagement Session
On Thursday, March 21, 2024, approximately 520 Grade 7-9 students across DCDSB participated in the first session of Created in the Image of God: I Am Because We Are (Ubuntu). Ubuntu is a virtual engagement series led by Tanika Riley with guest, Matthew Jones, in collaboration with a board planning team. The first session was focused on self-awareness, and it took a closer look at personal beliefs, labels, and personal identities such as race, culture, stereotypes, talent, and skills, and how our beliefs can be helpful or harmful. 

This engagement series consisted of three virtual engagement sessions and one culminating in-person event on Thursday, May 23, 2024, where students took part in a special sharing circle and showcased their reflective expressions through poetry, rap, journal reflections and visual art.

Financial Supports, Scholarships and Bursaries for Post-Secondary Pathways
We invite you to visit the DCDSB’s Financial Supports & Scholarships webpage for a list of financial supports to help with the funding of post-secondary programs and pathways.

We offer these resources and links as a potential starting point to help support students and families as they transition to post-secondary education.

The Giller Foundation and Mantella Corporation have teamed up to create the Giller Mantella Scholarship. The scholarship is for Black, Indigenous and racialized students across Canada graduating high school and interested in continued education in creative writing and literature. The scholarship will award $10,000 to three deserving recipients each year to further their education. To learn more please visit the Scotiabank Giller Prize website.

Thank you for your continued partnership. We hope that you have found the Black Excellence newsletters to be useful to keep you informed over the past school year and welcome any feedback you might have. Please feel free to contact us at Equity@dcdsb.ca if you have any comments or questions.

We wish you and your family all the best as we enter the final weeks of the 2023-2024 school year. 

Sincerely,


Katharine Stevenson                                                   Kayode Akomolafe
Superintendent of Education                                     Human Rights and Equity Advisor