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UCDSB invests additional $500K into music programs across the school district

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The Upper Canada District School Board is investing an additional $500K into music education across the district so that more students can have access to quality music education and enriched musical experiences. This investment is in addition to the funding that is already allocated in school budgets to school music programs and initiatives.

In June, each school in the UCDSB received between $2,000 and $19,000, depending on the school population and types of programs already offered at the school.

Funds will be used to purchase or repair instruments, to purchase audio equipment, or to purchase other music-related resources to support music classes, choirs, musicals, plays, and other music-related clubs at the school.

“Music can have long-term positive impacts on cognitive abilities, academic success and overall well-being – all things we want for our students,” explains Trustee Michel LaBonte. “Through this investment, all students will have greater access to music and music education at school, which will benefit them for years to come.”

School staff will have the opportunity to allocate these funds directly, to best meet the needs of their schools, and maximize the impact on students.

“With so many pressures on school budgets, I’m proud that we are able to allocate this funding to our schools,” says Chair of the Board Jamie Schoular. “Music sparks creativity and connection, values which we encourage not just our students but our staff as well. I’m looking forward to hearing the results next year.”

UCDSB students medal at Skills Ontario Competition in Toronto

Students participate in the Carpentry (Team of 4) category at the 2025 Skills Ontario Competition. Photo credit: Submitted [UCDSB].
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Students from across the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) participated in the annual Skills Ontario Competition in Toronto on May 5-6, 2025. Fifty-seven students competed either as individuals, teams of two, or teams of four. A total of five medals were won by UCDSB schools, with Glengarry District High School, St. Lawrence Secondary School, and Rideau District High School all bringing home hardware in a variety of challenges.  

The Skills Ontario Competition offers top students from across the province the chance to showcase their talents and compete in hands-on, industry-aligned challenges. Participants gain valuable experience while impressing educators, employers, and supporters. Winners earn gold, silver, or bronze medals, with opportunities for scholarships, job offers, and advancement to national and international competitions.

2025 Skills Ontario Gold medal winners in the LEGO Mechanical Engineering (Team of Four) category from Rideau District High School. Students Leah Brown, Rowan Bruyere, Emilia Halfpenny, and Rubie Lynn. Photo credit: Submitted [UCDSB].

Students punched their ticket to the Toronto event by winning in local competitions in Ottawa, Cornwall, and Kemptville, and then passing through the regional competition in Kingston this past April.

Day one of the competition saw 22 UCDSB intermediate students compete in the categories of TV/Video Production, LEGO Robotics, LEGO Mechanical Engineering, Green Energy, Technology, and Construction.

On the second day, 35 UCDSB secondary students stepped up to take on their peers in Animation, Aesthetics, Cabinet Making, Carpentry, Heavy Equipment Service, and more.

Student competing in the Outdoor Power Equipment challenge at the 2025 Skills Ontario Competition. Photo credit: Submitted [UCDSB].

UCDSB schools represented included Athens District High School, Brockville Collegiate Institute, Carleton Place High School, Cornwall Collegiate & Vocational School, Glengarry District High School, Perth & District Collegiate Institute, Rideau District High School, Russell High School, Seaway District High School, Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute, St. Lawrence Secondary School, Tagwi Secondary School, Thousand Islands Secondary School, and Vankleek Hill Collegiate Institute.

UCDSB results from the Skills Ontario Competition are as follows:

Intermediate:

GOLD – LEGO Mechanical Engineering (Team of Four): Leah Brown, Rowan Bruyere, Emilia Halfpenny, and Rubie Lynn, Rideau District High School

Secondary:

GOLD – Heavy Equipment Service: Skyler MacDonald, Glengarry District High School
GOLD – Individual Carpentry: Cohen Williams, Glengarry District High School (advancing to National Competition in Regina on May 29-30, 2025)
SILVER – Cabinet Making: Liam Ladouceur, Glengarry District High School
SILVER – CNC Woodworking: Eleni Fourkiotis, St. Lawrence Secondary School

SOURCE:Upper Canada District School Boards

Student Senate elects new Student Trustees for 2025-26

Allison Gibson (left) and Alexander Moussa (right). Photo credit: Submitted.
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The Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) Student Senate held its annual Student Trustee Election on Monday, Feb. 24 and elected Alexander Moussa from Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School and Allison Gibson from Rideau District High School as the 2025-26 Student Trustees. Moussa will also serve as Chair of Student Senate and Gibson as Vice-Chair of Student Senate.

This year there were five candidates from across the UCDSB running for the role of Student Trustee. Elections were held over Microsoft Teams, during a Student Senate meeting.

Student Senate represents each secondary school in the UCDSB, including TR Leger School of Adult, Alternative and Continuing Education. Each school has two Student Senate representatives, in addition to there being a representative from the Indigenous Leadership Program (iLead) and Akwesasne.

Each candidate had the opportunity to address Student Senate, presenting their objectives and vision for their term. Speeches were followed by a question-and-answer session and a secret ballot vote.

Moussa is a dedicated and creative student leader with a strong academic record and a passion for making a difference. “My qualities as a leader, innovator, and problem solver, can hopefully boost my sense of thought and direction into directly assisting my peers in the UCDSB,” says Moussa. “Seeing just how involved the student trustees are with the board, I hope that in this position, I can have more of a direct input into courses of action that will affect my peers on a small, and larger scale.”

“To me, students having a voice while at school is really important in making students comfortable,” says Gibson, whose focus is ensuring student voice is heard and considered. “ I look forward to working with Alexander for the 2025-26 school year.”

The term for Student Trustees runs from Aug.1, 2025 to July 31, 2026. Upon completion of their term, each Student Trustee receives $2,500. The UCDSB Board of Trustees are delighted to begin working alongside the new student representatives

“I am eager to see the fresh ideas, enthusiasm, and commitment our newly elected student trustees will bring to the board,” says UCDSB Vice-Chair Lynda Johnston. “Student trustees play a vital role in ensuring that our decisions at the board table align with the best interests of students. Their voices are essential, and I look forward to working alongside them to create positive change.”

“I also want to thank our current Student Trustees Maheen Riaz and Annika Squires for their work this school year. Their dedication and leadership will leave a lasting impact on the UCDSB,” added Johnston.

The Student Trustees participate in regular UCDSB Board of Trustees Meetings, offering succinct reports to the Board. They also assume the roles of Chair and Vice-Chair of the Student Senate. They are given the opportunity to attend conferences organized by the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association – l’Association des élèves conseillers et conseillères de l’Ontario (OSTA-AECO).

UCDSB restores services after cyber incident

The Upper Canada District School Board says it has restored services after a cyber incident in Jan. Photo credit: Unsplash photo by John Schnobrich
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The Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) says the main services affected by a cyber incident in early January have been fully restored, as of Feb. 20.

Wi-Fi is back at all schools, and students can once again log in to their UC accounts, access email and browse the internet, their website states. My Family Room, the board’s online parent portal, is also fully functional. Report cards are being distributed as scheduled, either in student backpacks or through My Family Room for schools piloting the digital system.

Students in e-learning courses have had access since the start of Semester 2. Anyone still experiencing issues with the D2L platform is encouraged to contact their school principal, vice-principal or guidance counsellor.

The restoration follows weeks of disruption after the UCDSB fell victim to a cyberattack on Jan. 6. In a Jan. 22 update, the board confirmed that personal data had been stolen, affecting current and former staff, students, parents, guardians and donors.

The compromised information includes sensitive personal and employment data for staff employed between 1999 and 2024. To mitigate potential risks, the UCDSB has offered affected employees and bursary students two years of free TransUnion credit monitoring. While the board believes the risk of misuse is low, individuals are urged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.

The investigation into the cyberattack continues, and the UCDSB has apologized for the impact on its community. Despite the challenges, the board says it is committed to strengthening security measures to prevent future incidents.

Parents and guardians with concerns are encouraged to contact their local school administration.

Schoular and Johnston Continue as Chair and Vice-Chair for UCDSB

Lynda Johnston and Jamie Schoular
Vice-Chair Lynda Johnston (left) and Chair Jamie Schoular (right) at the organizational meeting on November 13. Photo credit: Submitted.
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Trustee Jamie Schoular and Trustee Lynda Johnston will continue as Chair and Vice-Chair for the Upper Canada District School Board’s (UCDSB) Board of Trustees for the 2024-2025 school year.  

The Chair and Vice-Chair are voted in each year at the organizational meeting by their trustee peers.  

Schoular was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 2018, and this will be his second year serving as Chair of the Board. He is in his second term as a trustee. Schoular sits on the Board of the Student Transportation of Eastern Ontario, is a UCDSB representative (Director Designate) for the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) and is a member of the UCDSB Accountability Framework Workgroup and Trustee Professional Development Committee. 

“I would like to thank and acknowledge my Trustee colleges for their dedication and hard work on behalf of students and families in the UCDSB. I genuinely look forward to another year of working together and I am excited for the year of growth and improvement that are before us,” says Trustee Schoular.    

Johnston is in her first term as a trustee, being elected in October 2022, and second year as Vice-Chair. Johnston sits on a variety of committees within the Board, including Parent Involvement Committee, Supervised Alternative Learning, Trustee Innovation Awards Selection Committee, Trustee Professional Development Committee among others. 

“I’m grateful for the continued trust of our board and am looking forward to serving as Vice-Chair again. This past year has been such a cooperative team effort, and I’ve learned so much as a trustee. I look forward to building on our work together to support our students, staff, and community,” says Johnston.