Day at LakeheadU Strengthens Post-Secondary Ambitions
one of the first students to have been enrolled in the Achievement Program
Today, 70 Lakehead Public Schools students in Grades 4 to 12 enjoyed a full day of recreational activities at Lakehead University. The annual Achievement Day on Campus event celebrated students enrolled in the Achievement Program – a partner-program shared between Lakehead Public Schools and Lakehead University which provides post-secondary academic opportunities to students who experience socioeconomic barriers.
The Achievement Program offers financial support to students who may not have the resources to attend university upon secondary school graduation. The students earn their first year of university enrollment through nine years of creative and engaging programming beginning in Grade 4. The Achievement Program is offered to eligible students at Algonquin Avenue Public School, McKellar Park Central Public School, Ogden Community School, St. James Public School, and Sherbrooke Public School, and follows the students through secondary school.
Indiana Martell, Grade 4 student at St. James Public School, said this was his first year of enrollment in the Achievement Program and he is looking forward to today’s fun activities with Lakehead University. Indiana has big plans for his future and will complete the Achievement Program through to Grade 12 graduation. “The Achievement Program is helping me get closer to my dream of being a journalist and of going to this university,” said Martell.
The day’s event was held at the CJ Sanders Fieldhouse gymnasium and on the outdoor campus and featured welcoming remarks from AJ Keene, superintendent of education.
“Lakehead Public Schools is both honoured and humbled by our continued partnership with Lakehead University and the programs and opportunities that many Lakehead Public Schools students access throughout the year. The LakeheadU Achievement Program is the crown jewel of this partnership – a program that provides our students with rich opportunities during their elementary and secondary school careers, and most importantly puts post-secondary studies within reach for students,” said Keene.
The day was spent enhancing the students’ leadership skills, sense of teamwork, and academic knowledge through educational activities led by various LakeheadU departments such as the Department of Chemistry, the Faculty of Engineering, and the Niijii Indigenous Mentorship Program.
Lakehead Public Schools values its partnership with Lakehead University for the lifechanging opportunities it offers students and for helping youth believe the program’s ever-important motto of Dream It. Believe It. Achieve It.
