2021
Student Trustee Elections
Applications for
the 2021-2022 Student Trustees are now closed.
Student Trustee Election All Candidates Debate
All four candidates will be participating in the All Candidates Debate scheduled for February 25, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Replay the All Candidates Debate
The Final Four Candidates
Anissa Rampersaud – West Area
Hello everybody! My name is Anissa Rampersaud and I am a nominee to be your Student Trustee for the 2021-2022 school year. I am currently a Grade 11 student attending Maple High School. I enjoy reading, writing, listening to music, gaming, tending to my beautiful little plants, meeting new people and being able to make a positive impact wherever I can. Throughout my life, I have always made it my goal to help lessen other people’s burden, as it’s of great understanding to me the importance of empathy and using my place of privilege to support and uplift those who are not afforded the same. As such, I have participated in a myriad of volunteer opportunities in my elementary and secondary years like putting on dances and fundraisers, helping with food drives, participating in SickKids Get Loud and most recently, joining the extraordinary organizations TUGI (The Urban Garden Initiative), and Thrive Like a Girl. As for some of my other, less volunteer-oriented interests, I really like cooking and trying out new recipes, playing and building houses in The Sims 4, playing Minecraft and Skribbl.io with my friends, and exploring my neighborhood for new restaurants and bubble tea shops (I’ve found four so far). I hope this has been helpful in learning more about me, and offers some more insight for your Student Trustee decision!
See Aniisa Rampersaud’s video.
Bruce Yu – Central Area
Hey everyone! I’m Bruce, I’m currently a grade 10 student at Dr. G.W. Williams Secondary School and I’m excited and honoured to be one of your 2021-22 student trustee candidates. I’ve been elected twice to student council and my time working alongside other council members has strengthened and solidified my belief in the importance of student voice. Within my community, I hold leadership positions at a registered Canadian charity dedicated to supporting secondary students across Canada and at a student-led nonprofit aiming to get more young people involved in politics. My top priority as a student trustee will be to implement practical action plans to address student concerns about the lack of mental health resources, grading discrepancies and introduce a later school start time. Above all else, you can remain confident that my door will always be open and that I’m ready to work with you and for you.
See Bruce Yu’s video.
Hanifah Johnson – East Area
My
name is Hanifah Johnson and I’m an 11th-grade student at Bill Crothers. In
school, you can find me contributing to the Student Council, working on the
Black Student Alliance and preparing for Model UN debates. Outside of school,
you will find me training with my basketball team working at A&W and
working as a research assistant at York University. As we look to the future,
school will look different and it will be imperative that the Board hear from
us, the students. What we need and want. My goal is to make the 2021-2022
school year the best it can be for all 124 000 students across the board. Know
that your voice matters and with this position, I will work hard to make sure
it’s heard and that we are included in the decisions being made about our
future. I look forward to connecting with you all!
See Hanifah Johnson's video.
Munira Chakera – North Area
Hey! I’m Munira Chakera! I’m a grade 11
at Stouffville District Secondary School and I am so thrilled to be running for
a YRDSB Student Trustee position! Over the years, I have gotten the chance to
be involved in many different clubs, councils, and sports teams. I hope to be
able to use the skills I have developed from these experiences to represent
you. As a trustee, I would prioritize making mental health services more
accessible and available for all students, and would work to build ways to make
your school experience more equitable and inclusive. In these times when social
media is our greatest form of connection, I also think it is necessary to
find ways to virtually reach and keep in touch with you, possibly through
social events where you can share your opinions and concerns with me!
In my spare time, you can find me
in Stouffville: playing sports, volunteering in my community, and constantly
rewatching The Office (it’s an issue I know). To learn more about me, my
experiences, and my campaign, make sure to give me a follow on Instagram @munira.yrdsb
and feel free to shoot me a DM if you want to chat about anything! After
all, I’m all ears when it comes to hearing your voice! So on March 8th, help
me, represent you, by voting Munira for student trustee.
See Munira Chakera's video.
Key
Dates and Process
|
Application Deadline |
Wednesday,
February 3, 2021 at 4:00 p.m.
|
|
Interviews
|
Wednesday, February 17, 2021 and Thursday, February 18, 2021
|
|
Notification to Candidates
|
Friday, February 19, 2021 (End of Day)
|
|
Campaign
Period Begins
|
Monday,
February 22, 2021
|
All Candidates Debate
|
Thursday, February 25, 2021 |
|---|
| Elevating Student Voice (Board Meeting) |
Tuesday, March 2, 2021 |
|---|
|
Advanced Voting Period
|
Monday, March 8, 2021 to
Thursday, March 11, 2021 (at 8 p.m.)
|
|
VOTING DAY ENDS
|
Thursday,
March 11, 2021 (at 8 p.m.)
|
|
Announcement
of Results
|
Friday, March 12, 2021
|
*Additional engagement
opportunities may be considered as part of the process.
Interviews and Selection of Four
Candidates
A panel, composed of the
2020-2021 Student Trustees, two members of the York Region Presidents’ Council,
two York Region Presidents’ Council staff advisors and the Vice-Chair of the
Board, will review all applications.
Each applicant will be
invited to participate in a short interview (by video conference) on February
17, 2021 or February 18, 2021.
Applicants will have an opportunity to respond to several predetermined
questions.
Four
candidates, one from each of the Board’s geographic areas (North, East, West, Central) will be selected to campaign for the position of
2021-2022 Student Trustee for York Region District School Board.
Only
the four identified candidates will be notified at the end of the day Friday,
February 19, 2021. All other applicants
are thanked for taking the time to submit an application and are encouraged to
work with current and future student trustees to engage in initiatives that
elevate student voice across York Region.
Campaign Period (Monday, February 22, 2021
to Sunday, March 7, 2021)
IMPORTANT:
No applicant or candidate may
campaign prior to February 22, 2021.
Once
the four candidates have been notified, they will work with the 2020-2021
Student Trustees and staff to develop the following campaign materials. These
materials will be posted on this page to support student electors in making an
educated decision on Election Day.
- A short summary about each
candidate
- A short, two minute, video
Criteria
and information to be included in these resources will be provided to each of the
four candidates on February 19, 2021.
Starting
on Monday, February 22, 2021, the four candidates may begin campaigning. Information about each candidate will be
posted on this page, communicated to student electors and shared via social
media.
During
this period, candidates will participate in several events to elevate student
voice. This includes the live-streamed All-Candidates Debate on Thursday, February 25, 2021 and a short
presentation to the Board of Trustees on March 2, 2021.
All eligible student electors will be provided
with information about the candidates and how they can vote.
The
campaign period ends at 11:59 p.m on Sunday, March 7, 2021.
Voting
and Results (March 8 to 11, 2021)
Voting
begins at 12:00 p.m. on Monday March 8, 2021 and closes at 8:00 p.m. on
Thursday, March 11, 2021.
Why
is it important to vote?
The
results of the election will be shared with the four candidates at a
predetermined time on Friday, March 12, 2021.
A
formal communication will be sent from the Student Trustees via social media at
12:00 p.m. on Friday, March 12, 2021.
The
results will be posted on this page following the Student Trustees’ Twitter
Announcement.
Support
and Transition
At
the Board level, Corporate
Secretariat and Trustee Services supports the work of the student
trustees. Four Administrator advisors
support the work of the YRPC.
The two individuals elected to the
role of Student Trustee for the year 2021-2022 will be provided with key dates
and additional information to support their transition into this important
role.
Questions
If you have any questions about the
Student Trustee Election Process, please contact:
Christine Lin at Christine.lin@yrdsb.ca,
Felix Nomerovsky at felix.nomerovsky@yrdsb.ca, or
Ashton Wood at Ashton.l.wood@yrdsb.ca.
You
may also contact Corporate Secretariat and Trustee Services at trustee.services@yrdsb.ca or
905-727-0022 ext. 2049.