**NORTHERN CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD NEWS RELEASE**

O’Gorman High School Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) students participated in an Innovation Creativity Entrepreneurship (ICE) Challenge (similar to Dragon’s Den). This year the City of Timmins was one of our community partners along with the Salvation Army. The topic for this year’s challenge is focused around local families in need. We hope to focus our efforts on the following key question:

How might we increase awareness of the available wrap around services for local Timmins families/individuals in need? (Health & Wellness SHSM students)

Mayor Black spoke to the SHSM students about issues that local families face and identified the types of supports that are required to support them. The focus of the presentation was to create empathy among the students for the target group of families in need. Then touch on the needs they face – including: food, shelter, medical support, mental health support, financial aid, education services, etc.

Doug Basso, Lead Teacher for Health & Wellness SHSM Program commented, “Congratulations to the following three OHS students, Hailey Vaillancourt, Brianna Hway and Lauren Doyle. The winners of the ICE Challenge designed a ‘Caring Cover’ or blanket that can be distributed to those residents in need. It can double as a pillow, a blanket, a tarp and something to sleep on. When folded up, the zippered pocket contains a listing of social supports that can be accessed throughout the community.”

With funds from the SHSM program, the Northeastern Catholic District School Board and a community grant from Glencore Canada Corp., 200 “Caring Covers” were purchased and will be distributed throughout our community, to organizations that support and work with local citizens in need. The Salvation Army, Yo Mobile, Project Love and Living Spaces will receive 50 “Caring Covers” to distribute as they see fit.

Sharon Maisonneuve, Vice-Principal and Board Lead of the SHSM Programs, stated: “We are proud of our students and their desire to support people in need and outline what “civic mindedness” entails. We are all part of this one special community of Timmins, so we all should do what we reasonably can to meet the needs of our fellow citizens. A very special thank you to Glencore for their generosity.”