Charitable Effort at Mt. Pleasant Made the Winter Warmer

This past winter was a cold one, but thanks to a community effort rooted in tradition at Mt. Pleasant School, it was a heartwarming season as well.

Back in 2012, former Principal at Mt. Pleasant, Linda Symons, challenged her staff to have classes “make the world a better place.” Her message made an impact on the staff, and years later, they are still finding ways to get students engaged in helping others.

Since that time, Mrs. MacPherson and her classes have taken part in Warm Coats = Warm Hearts to support the Brantford Wish Closet. When it began, the class set a goal of collecting 100 coats for the Wish Closet – a goal they achieved. “Each year since then the goal has been a bit larger, and the students continue to meet it,” said Graham Purcell, Principal at Mt. Pleasant.

Students market their fundraising goals and efforts by making posters for the community, using the school’s sign, spreading the word and keeping fellow students up to date through the morning announcements, and publishing the data on inventory collected. This past winter, the goal was 1000 items. It was a lofty goal, but the student community was successful once again. All told, since 2012, the children have collected over 2,500 items and learned some valuable lessons about helping others.

Mrs. Henderson’s Grade 3 class have also joined the effort. This past holiday season, they raised money for two different causes, Light a Smile and a local family. The students used their fundraising to finance a cross-curricular shopping trip to Walmart, using math skills to estimate and calculate the cost of the gifts they purchased for Light a Smile and to make it a merrier season for one family.

Community is a big part of Grand Erie’s Multi-Year Plan, using strategies to encourage family involvement, and celebrating the organizations and partnerships that enhance students’ learning experiences. Finding effective ways to make the world a better place is an important part of the school culture at Mt. Pleasant, and students look forward to continuing their efforts to make a positive impact on our communities.

MPS learns about Ontario's role in the Underground Railroad

In honour of Black History month, Mt. Pleasant School welcomed a guest speaker, Mr. Michael Toby, to discuss Ontario's role in the Underground Railroad. Mr. Toby's unique presentation combined video, story telling and song to help students understand significance of the Underground Railroad. Students learned the role of music and song in guiding slaves towards the North. Students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and we thank Mr. Toby for bringing his presentation to us.

Mustangs pledge their hands

Students and staff created individual handprints and contributed them to create this amazing piece of art. Each handprint is different and unique....kind of like our students! This month we celebrate our diversity.