Kudos to Simon Fraser University student Chantelle Buffie for receiving the 2013 National HSBC Woman Leader of Tomorrow Award.
The award is from Enactus, a charitable organization that promotes social change through entrepreneurship, and HSBC Bank of Canada is the sponsor. The award recognizes female postsecondary students who exemplify success and inspire others through entrepreneurial leadership.
Buffie was featured in the NOW last June for her work co-founding Fusion Kitchen, a series of cooking classes led by immigrant women, who gain confidence and earn money while sharing their cultural cuisine.
It was that enterprise that earned Buffie the award and a $2,500 project grant for the Enactus team at SFU. The money will go towards a project that helps advance women in the community.
Students wanted for conference
Calling all high school students: One Big Movement is looking for youth to attend an upcoming conference at SFU's Surrey campus.
The event is to encourage young people to take action against child poverty.
One Big Movement is a non-profit organization started by SFU students dedicated to eradicating child poverty in B.C.
If you need a reason to get involved, here are a couple of points from One Big Movement:
One in seven B.C. children lives in poverty.
B.C. has the second-worst child poverty rate after Manitoba.
Children raised in poor families tend to become poorer adults.
The conference is on Saturday, May 25 at SFU's Surrey campus, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It's free, and lunch is provided.
The event is geared towards students in grades 10 to 12, but younger students are welcome, too.
For more information or to register, go to www. onebigmovement.org/ movements/eytc2013.
Students clean shoreline
Students at Burnaby's St. Helen's School spent May 4 picking up garbage for the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. The annual event involves volunteers from across Canada who pick up trash near lakes, rivers and oceans.
Grade 7 students from St. Helen's picked up trash along the shore at Confederation Park in North Burnaby.
Students Cara Moretto and Zoey Collins organized the event, and Vancity provided lunch.
Annual WORDS anthology out
The Burnaby school district celebrated the annual WORDS Writing Project on Thursday, May 16. The yearly anthology is a collection of student writing, and the selected authors read their pieces on stage at the Michael J. Fox Theatre. David Mushens, vice-principal at Cariboo Hill Secondary, also addressed the crowd. Mushens, who goes by the pen name David Russell, published Last Dance, a murder mystery starring a lawyer turned teacher.
This year, the school district did something new and invited adults from the English literacy foundations program to submit written pieces, as well.
WORDS will be available in local libraries and school libraries.
Annual Gilmore spring carnival
I know I've mentioned quite a few school carnivals lately, but this one takes the cake. Gilmore Community School is hosting a country-themed spring carnival on Friday, May 24, from 4 to 9 p.m.
There will be a bouncy castle, barbecue, a raffle, entertainment, a cow-milking demonstration, carnival games, pony rides, cotton candy and a pie-eating contest.
Suzanne Sachinidis, one of the organizers, said the annual event is a huge hit in the Heights.
"It's a really, really big event," she said, estimating more than 1,000 people came last year.
The money raised goes towards the Gilmore school, which also serves as a community hub.
The school is at 50 S. Gilmore Ave. For more information, call 604-7900301.
Have any information on school news and events? Contact Jennifer Moreau with items for Class Act at jmoreau@burnabynow. com or by mail at 201A-3430 Brighton Ave. Burnaby, B.C. V5A-3H4. For more Burnaby event information, go to www. burnabynow.com and click on the event listings.
