OSLC 2019: THE FINAL FRONTIER
By: Aarush Chawla
Iroquois Ridge OSLC 2019 team at Niagara Falls ↑↑↑
Lights, Music, Cheers, Teamwork, Leadership. These words describe a special event that IRHS students attended this year.
This year was the largest group of Ridge students with 41 hyped-up students and 2 amazing supervisors: Ms. Maeda and Mr. Selvaggio. OSLC stands for Ontario Student Leadership Conference. A group of students are chosen from each school to represent the schools and to learn and understand how to become better leaders. This conference is based upon becoming better leaders and bringing change, and has been striving to do so for over 41 years. With the usage of keynote speakers, workshops, and music, this conference was a very good learning experience. Every year, the conference has a theme; this year the theme was discovering Space and how leaders need to lead change in the world. As a team, we had an amazing time at the conference. We enjoyed touring Niagara Falls as a group and sharing memorable experiences which we’ll always remember. As a Grade 9 student, I really enjoyed hearing the humorous and interactive speeches from leaders but also enjoyed attending dance parties, taking part in cheer battles, and singing songs with the rest of the schools. I think as a team we all agree that having bubble tea, going go- karting, and cheering as a team is an experience we all won’t forget. When we all left Iroquois Ridge, most of us didn’t know each other and many of us were anxious for the experience. However, when we arrived at the Sheraton Hotel we had a chance to experience cheering as a group and motivating each other. We all took part in team-building activities and had a chance to develop a special bond with one another. After taking part in team-building activities, we had a chance to become a tourist and enjoy Niagara Falls. I really enjoyed interacting with students of different grades and walking around Clifton Hill. Another key highlight was the Opening Ceremonies where we saw the two Master of Ceremonies, Stu Sanders and Ian Tyson. They both hyped up the crowd and introduced us to the various speakers. Hearing about the experiences of leaders and their struggles really inspired us and really motivated us to become better leaders. The last highlight for me was the cheering and dance party. One of the key awards many schools were pushing for is the Spirit Award. This award is awarded to the school with the most school spirit. Many schools including ours took part in cheer contests to see who could cheer louder. As a team, we loved motivating each other and showing the other schools who the leaders were. However, we fell short of winning this prize, but we all learned a lesson, which was how we can work together to create change. Another highlight was the dance party where students danced and showcased their talents. I enjoyed taking part in and enjoying music with the rest of the schools. One of our key accomplishments was placing second on the Video Award. The Video Award we were running for, was awarded to the school which represented the Conference’s theme the best. We were all excited to place second out of many schools and share the leadership culture at our school.
I would like to share a few experiences from my fellow OSLC members...
“ OSLC was amazing. The energy there was unreal as every student wanted to be there was much as you did. Most of all, being a spirit leader and hyping 2500 students was unforgettable.”
- Caleb Wong, Grade 11
“ OSLC was a great experience, that taught me how to be a leader and the skills required to succeed as one. It also helped me grow and develop as a person.”- Quynh Anh, Grade 10
These quotes truly represent the awesome experience many Ridge Students and I experienced. I encourage everyone to take part in the OSLC “LEAP into Leadership,” conference next year and help make themselves into more responsible people.
Pictures Credit: Caitlin Lee, Ms. Maeda, Kayla Zakher, and Alex Choe
Special Thanks: Ms. Maeda, Mr. Selvaggio, Gaveen Weerasinghe, Nadege Bamfo, Kyle Sue-A-Quan and Marcus Lam
OSLC Team: Aarush Chawla, Adelaide Soler, Alex Choe, Alexia Bamfo, Alvin Qian, Anuraj Shah, Bennett Desmarais, Caitlin Lee, Caleb Wong, Calvin Zheng, Deniz Mulayim, Eesha Ulhaq, Emily Hutter, Ethan Stuart, Eva Violin, Gaveen Weerasinghe, Hailey Franklin, Hamza Saifan, Hayley Walsh, Jack Savelli, Jaden MacDonald, Jennifer Zhu, Jivan Kesan, Josh Geddes, Julia Kyriacou, Kayla Zakher, Kyle Sue-A-Quan, Leo Vugert, Ms. Maeda, Marcus Lam, Nadege Bamfo, Nicole Harris, Olivia Sun, Quynh-Anh, Rham Anpalagan, Sana Kazi, Mr. Selvaggio, Senuli Weerasinghe, Sky Ye, Thisari Premawardena, Tiffany Sun, Vivian Ren, Yalda Azari
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