Friday February 26th @ Vansittart Woods Environmental Education Centre
Outdoor ELOPE (capped at 25 students)
Hitting the trails again for some Cross Country Skiing and Snowshoeing at Vansittart Woods!

Thursday March 3rd @ The Education Centre
SPARK's Anatomy (capped at 100 students)
A day of lectures and workshops from professionals in the medical field. So far our day will consist of:
1) Learning how to put on a cast from an ER doctor
2) Practice suturing techniques on pigs feet with a family medicine doctor
3) Review case studies with an internal medicine doctor
4) Discuss palliative care and the process of dying with a palliative care doctor
5) Learn how to assess a newborn's health with a Midwife
6) Find out about issues surrounding health care and the homeless population from a community social worker
And more workshops are in the works!

 

Wednesday March 23rd @ Saunders SS
3rd Annual Gamers Outreach (capped at 30 students)
A repeat outreach from past years for students interested in computer programming and gaming. A successful company in London called Mikutech will be taking students through programming tutorials that will lead to them having created their own video game by the end of the day. Mikutech is always looking for new co-op students to join them, so this is a great opportunity for our students to show them what they've got!

 

Thursday April 7th @ Kings University College
SPARK! Stories of Oppression (capped at 100 students)
How does change happen? Often, it starts with a story. This will be a day for students who are passionate about human rights, social justice, activism, world issues. Students will have the chance to hear personal stories of oppression from different lenses, hearing from the voices of women, Aboriginals, members of the LGBTQ community, or those coming from war-torn countries. After hearing these stories, students will then be called to action where they will brainstorm with their peers on ways they can make change happen.

 

Fanshawe College will be hosting a Digital Media and Virtual Reality 4-day Workshop in April for students ages 12-17. Currently, they are thinking it will take place on 4 Saturday's, from April 9th to April 30th. 

20 lucky attendees will receive a Google Cardboard Kit for assembly and use, and will work with Fanshawe faculty, staff and students to create interactive levels in Unity3D, as well as rendered videos of those levels that can be accessed online through a smartphone (and the Cardboard viewer they get to keep) any time after the workshop is over. 

This will be a great opportunity for the participants to explore the latest emerging digital technologies and, furthermore, look at all the programs and facilities CDPA has to offer as they get closer to making their post-secondary plans. Between the sponsors and the college, all the participant’s costs will be covered. 
 
In order to participate, interested students will have to submit a one-paragraph reason as to why they’d like to participate in this workshop to Natalia Aguillon at n_aguillon@fanshawec.ca. 

If you think this would be of interest with students you work with, please email Chantal Bell (ckbell@FanshaweC.ca)

 

Saturday April 16th
2016 London Brain Bee
The Brain and Mind Institute at The University of Western Ontario is inviting high school students from London and surrounding area to the 8th annual London Brain Bee. The London Brain Bee is a free neuroscience outreach program for students in grades 9-12. The Brain Bee is an international initiative to motivate high school students to learn about the science of the brain and pursue careers in the fields of neuroscience and medicine.

The London Brain Bee will be held at The University of Western Ontario on Saturday, April 16th, 2016. 
•    A neuroscience trivia competition with great prizes! 
•    A neuroanatomy bellringer featuring real human brain specimens!
•    Mock patient diagnosis sessions with UWO medical students

Check out the attached poster for more info!

Wednesday April 27th and Thursday April 28th
Guelph Interaction Conference
A full day conference that offers over 35 sessions that provide students with an opportunity to explore the university, and experience informative and interactive sessions led by the university's faculty and staff. From, "Angry Avians", to "Amadeus to Zeppelin: Music and Contemporary Culture", we have planned an educational and interactive program that students will find enriching. 

Programs with specific workshop detials will be out soon!
 

There is a trip to Washington DC offered with conjunction with CASS from April 27-May 1, 2016.  The cost per student would be approximately $900, which really is a great deal.  Below are some of the details/highlights of the trip!  I know I already have talked to a few of you who are interested in going.  Please come speak with me if you think this is something you would like to do.  I am looking for at least 6 students!
 

 

Thursday May 20th @ The Education Centre
Discovery Gifted (an introduction to gifted programming for our grade 8 students)
A morning for our grade 8 gifted students to see what high school has to offer! High school gifted teachers usually come out and facilitate an ELOPE session with some of their own gifted and talented students. The grade 8s have the opportunity to rotate through four different ELOPE sessions and ask their future teachers any questions they may have. A great day for our own gifted/bright/talented students to show off their leadership skills!

 

Friday May 27th @ The Education Centre AND Budweiser Gardens
SPARK! du Soleil (capped at 100 students)
My last SPARK! while I'm in this role, so I thought I'd make it a memorable one! I've ordered 100 tickets for Cirque du Soleil: Toruk at Budweiser Gardens. We will start our conference at 12 pm with lunch and lectures at the Education Centre that focus on topics related to the theatrical arts, music, kinesiology, and creative writing/storytelling. Following lectures, we will head to Budweiser Gardens for the performance, which starts at 4pm. Cost will be $40/student, and this includes a pizza/pop lunch.