Building strong futures: F.J. McElligott Secondary School upgrades welding shop through community partnerships

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Tuesday, March 3, 2026

At F.J. McElligott Secondary School, the clang of metal and hum of power tools now echo in a revitalized shop space, thanks to a TC Energy grant that facilitated a collaborative effort uniting alumni, local businesses and industry leaders to invest in the next generation of skilled trades professionals.

The initiative began during the 2024–25 school year when retired welder Jacques Goudreau, volunteering alongside shop teacher Mark Robinson, noticed that the school’s welding and mechanics facilities would use upgrades. “When I started working at F.J. in September of last year, the transportation shop was in serious need of upgrading,” Robinson explained. “The grant from TC Energy in conjunction with Fastenal, Milwaukee Tools and support from GinCor Werx has helped us take a huge step forward in providing our students a learning space that is safe, and with cutting-edge tools. It would be impossible for our program to continue without the kindness and generosity of all our community supporters.”

Initially, Goudreau approached Ward Resmer at GinCor Werx with a list of welding supplies needed to improve the school shop. Resmer, who sits on Canadore College’s trades advisory board, understands the importance of engaging students in skilled trades at the secondary level. Wanting to support the initiative, he contacted several suppliers, who he says “knocked it out of the park,” noting that “young people learning the trades helps them as well in the long run.” Both Fastenal and Messer Canada stepped up, providing welding supplies at a reduced cost.

Despite this support, the challenge of funding remained. F.J. McElligott has relied on TC Energy funding for many years to support school programs and initiatives, so an application was submitted. Gretchen Gordon, Team Lead of External Relations at TC Energy, approved the TC Build Strong Grant—an initiative designed to strengthen communities through education and workforce development.

“At TC Energy, we believe that investing in our youth is investing in the future of our communities,” said Gordon. “Supporting programs that promote skilled trades not only opens doors for students but also strengthens the workforce for years to come. Safety and quality are at the heart of everything we do, and this initiative ensures that students can learn in an environment that reflects those values.”

The grant application was successful, setting the stage for a transformation of the school’s shop.

But the story didn’t end there. After speaking with Resmer, F.J. alumni Alex Ranger, now working with Fastenal, stepped in to help source materials and connect the team with Milwaukee’s Bring Back the Trades initiative - a program that matches schools’ investments with additional merchandise, amplifying the impact of every dollar spent.

“As an F.J. alumnus, I jumped at the opportunity to give back to the school that contributed so much to my personal and professional development,” said Ranger. “I remain proud of my roots and the foundation it provided. The support from TC Energy, Milwaukee, and Fastenal made this project possible. I am glad that we were able to upgrade many of the outdated tools in both the mechanics and woodshops, while also providing essential personal protective equipment (PPE) for the students, providing safer equipment for students to use and learn with. I look forward to the possibility of working together on future initiatives.”

With funding secured and partnerships in place, the school ordered a full suite of Milwaukee power tools, welding supplies, safety equipment, and other materials essential for hands-on learning. Joel Villeneuve, Milwaukee’s representative, visited the school to conduct educational seminars and assess inventory needs, ensuring students have access to industry-standard tools.

“We at Milwaukee are proud to support hands-on learning and to help equip the next generation of skilled trades professionals,” Villeneuve said. “Partnering with Fastenal, F.J. McElligott and TC Energy has been a rewarding experience—providing students with access to professional-grade tools that enhance safety, confidence and real-world skills while creating brand awareness. It is inspiring to see local collaboration create meaningful opportunities for the next generation to learn, grow, and build a foundation for their future careers.”

With tools and safety equipment purchased, the welding material still needed to be provided. Resmer helped to secure materials from Messer Canada, mainly Albert Van De Kraats at the Sudbury Branch, at a reduced cost. GinCor supplied metal and even changed some of the wire sizes that they commonly used so that if a certain wire size was needed throughout the course, they’d have it readily available for the students.

The supplies and upgrades have already made a noticeable difference. Students now train with tools and equipment that mirror what they’ll encounter in the workforce, giving them a competitive edge as they pursue apprenticeships and careers in welding, mechanics, and other skilled trades.

“This is about more than tools,” Robinson emphasized. “It’s about giving students confidence and preparing them for success. When they walk into a shop that looks and feels professional, it changes the way they approach learning.”

The collaboration between GinCor Werx, TC Energy, Fastenal, Milwaukee, and dedicated community members like Goudreau, Resmer, and Ranger underscores the power of partnerships in education. For students at F.J. McElligott, these improvements mean safer, more efficient learning environments - and a tangible investment in their future.

Some Alouette bus routes to run beginning Thursday, February 26

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Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026

Nipissing Parry Sound Student Transportation Services (NPSSTS) has been advised by Alouette Bus Lines that they are able to operate the following routes beginning Thursday February 26, 2026, in the morning:001, 610 also covering 605, 268, 286, 011, 022, 063, 064, 065, 061, 062, 014 also covering 066.

Read the communication from Nipissing Parry Sound Student Transportation Services (NPSSTS, or the consortium)here.

Director of Education and student senators talk about the issues that matter most

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(NNDSB) Student Senate serves as a vital link between students and school board administration. Student senators have their fingers on the pulse of the student experience and share that knowledge with administrators with the goal of improving student achievement and well-being.

During the February meeting of Student Senate, representatives of each NNDSB secondary school shared the challenges and successes of their individual schools and had the opportunity to have their first official meeting with Director of Education Jay MacJanet.

MacJanet told senators about his career and upbringing in Sault St. Marie and how glad he is to be back in the north. The conversation then turned to how he can support students and how students can continue to have a voice in the absence of school board trustees.

Chippewa Secondary School student Dev Bassi, who was elected student trustee last year, said he still thinks the role of student trustee is important.

“It gives Student Senate and students the ability to share their voice at the board in terms of policy or actions. When you give students the ability to have their voice heard in that process, rather than be spoken for them, it provides some authenticity about how students are affected in ways that teachers and admins sometimes don't see.”

MacJanet said he hopes to create a ‘Director’s Forum’ where representatives from each high school meet with him to discuss “what your day looks like, how the system can help support you in getting where you need to be and where you want to be in the future.

“Your voice is the most important to me,” MacJanet said. “I take that information to teachers and principals and say this is what students are experiencing. What you do and how you represent Near North matters, and I want you to know that we are going to back you one thousand per cent.”

Parry Sound High School Student Senator Kiara said, “It's really important that students have a voice and that students have someone to talk to at a school, that's not a teacher, who can help them with whatever issues and concerns that they have.”

One of the issues that concern students is bus cancellations due to inclement weather.

“It affects everybody, but it really affects our Grade 12 students who are thinking about post-secondary with university applications and just the stress of those marks,” Kiara said. “Having exams cancelled and exams postponed really adds to the stress.”

MacJanet spoke with senators about those concerns and how the board is working with transportation companies to ensure that students can get to school safely when winter weather is in effect.

Regardless of the structure of school board governance, the role of student senate will continue to be fundamental to student achievement and well-being and a crucial link between students and administration.

School boards battle in friendly tournament

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Tuesday, Feb. 17 2026

White Woods Public School students enjoyed participating in a friendly ball hockey tournament for elementary school students in West Nipissing.

The first-ever Winter Ball Hockey Classic was held Feb. 12 in Sturgeon Falls, hosted by École élémentaire catholique La Résurrection, in partnership with Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord. The friendly tournament invited all French-language and English-language elementary schools in the West Nipissing community, bringing together students in Grades 4 to 8.

The event took place at La Résurrection with outdoor playing surfaces in the school parking lot as well as a closed section of the adjacent Third Street.

NNDSB’s White Woods Public School participated with teams from Grade 4/5 and Grade 6/7/8 who gave it their all in the friendly inter-board tournament.

La Résurrection’s gymnasium served as a warm-up area where students were treated to hot chocolate and pizza in a friendly environment to relax between games.

NNDSB thanks École élémentaire catholique La Résurrection and Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord for the invitation to this fun event and is already looking forward to next year!

Chippewa students make connections to traditional knowledge

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“How do we get our kids to be able to fall in love with school and learn if they can't connect with it because they're asking why am I taking that? Why am I doing this? If we could connect those dots for them, then they can make those changes to their outlook,” said Bernadette Shawanda of Great Lakes Cultural Camps.

This is the idea at the centre of a land-based learning experience at Chippewa Secondary School (CSS), where students were exposed to traditional Indigenous knowledge and learned about hunting, trapping and fur harvesting.

Students were exposed to a wide variety of Canadian fur-bearing animals, learned the Ojibway name for each and their importance in Anishinaabe culture and traditions. They were also shown how the furs were trapped and processed, and had the opportunity to prepare a beaver fur for tanning.

Grade 9 Chippewa student Owen said he is inspired to get outside more and do more hands-on activities.

“My favourite part was learning how to scrape the beaver hide,” Owen said. “It was nice for community-building, experiences and storytelling.”

Jordan, in Grade 7, enjoyed learning about the different types of animals and the traps used to harvest them.

“My favourite part was getting to hold all the animal furs. It reminds me of my Papa, who has a beaver pelt on his wall,” Jordan said. “It made me want to spend more time outdoors, like Ski-Dooing and ice fishing.”

“Having Great Lakes Cultural Camps join us and share their knowledge with students and staff at CSS is a wonderful opportunity. We are grateful for the time they have spent with students and engaging them in learning about amik (beaver) and why Anishnaabeg trap,” Chippewa principal Krista Tucker Petrick said. “Learning from the land is an important part of the curriculum they bring, and we appreciate being able to embed Indigenous knowledge into our everyday learning here.”

“Great Lakes Cultural Camps provides authentic learning and experiences that share Anishnaabe ways of learning, being and doing,” said Kelly Nootchtai Huston, NNDSB Indigenous Education Lead. “The experiences offer all students and staff an opportunity to learn about Anishnaabe culture, traditions and language. We were able to include Grade 6 Ojibwe language learners from Woodland Public School as a transition activity, Indigenous youth from Chippewa Secondary School, and other classes who engaged in learning ahead of time to ensure that the experience is directly linked to the curriculum they are learning about in their classrooms. Our commitment to opportunities like this is directly linked to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action,” said Nootchtai Huston.

 

Tim’s Camp comes to the classroom at Alliance Public School

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Alliance Public School Grades 5 and 6 students had the Tim Horton’s Camp experience brought right to their classrooms, where they engaged in fun social-emotional learning activities over the course of several days.

Tim’s Camp’s program facilitator, Gillian Welk, said the Tim’s Classroom program travels all over Canada, delivering programs to youth who might not have the experience or the ability to come physically to camps.

“Day one, we focus on connection, day two is communication, day three is teamwork and on the last day, we always end in some sort of celebration to reward and celebrate their success,” Welk said. “We do a lot of different team initiatives. For example, the hot chocolate river, where students have to work together as a team to cross, stepping only on specific areas together.”

Grade 5 student Tate said, "I liked the marble tube run where we had to get the marble into the cup because it taught us how to problem solve and work together as a team. I learned how to work together by listening to others' ideas, combining ideas to make one good one, and problem-solving as a team."

Samantha Loreto, Grade 5 teacher, said that opportunities like Tim’s Camp are incredibly important because they give every student a chance to participate in meaningful, enriching experiences, reaching students who may not be able to attend otherwise.

“Many of the camp challenges involved planning, strategizing, and evaluating solutions, whether it was creating a group marble run and having to evaluate strategies and adjust or building the highest tower out of cups,” Loreto said. “The students had to persevere through some of the challenges they faced within the challenges. It was amazing watching the students take on leadership roles and have fun doing so.”

Welk said they hope that students learn some skills that hopefully can help them in the future. “If there is a conflict that comes up in their class, or maybe a challenge that they have to overcome outside of the classroom, then they at least have this baseline knowledge that they learn in a school to help them succeed, learn and grow,” Welk said.

 

Hockey legend hits the ice with F.J. McElligott students

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Hockey legend hits the ice with F.J. McElligott students

F.J. McElligott Secondary School’s Hockey Skills Academy students had the rare opportunity to hit the ice with Canadian hockey legend Ted Nolan. The former NHL player and coach spent time with students on the ice at the Mike Rodden arena in Mattawa.

Nolan, who was in Mattawa to share his message of perseverance with the community at the school auditorium, spent an hour on ice with students, running them through drills and sharing tips he has learned from his decades-long career.

Nolan said programs like the Hockey Skills Academy help to get young players back to the root of what is important – the love of the game.

“It’s people that really make a difference,” Nolan said. “I never went to hockey schools. I just played and I fell in love with the game through that method. That’s what we have to do here in Canada, just bring back the love of the game to our kids. You don’t have to have the best skates, you just have to get the opportunity to play.”

Students have been researching Ted Nolan’s story since last year. As a class they had the opportunity to learn more about Nolan through lessons and videos in class. Students have also been working on their leadership skills on the ice to prepare for his arrival.

“Experiences like this are incredibly important for Hockey Skills students because they help connect what they’re learning on the ice to their overall growth as students and young athletes, giving them a renewed sense of purpose and motivation. On the ice, opportunities like these can reignite their confidence, help them see the progress they’ve made, and encourage them to continue pushing their limits and developing their skills,” teacher Cody Lacelle said. “Off the ice, especially with examinations only a week away, I hope this experience gives them an extra spark of motivation to bring the same discipline, focus, and resilience they use in hockey into their academic work.”

“It was really cool to learn from a former NHL coach who has won at every level of hockey. I liked how the drills he showed us really emphasized vision,” Grade 12 student Josh said. “I thought it was a really good tip when he told us that every pass doesn’t need to be a bullet if you can put it in a good spot for your teammate to receive the pass. I learned that hard work and never giving up will lead to success.”

Letter to Families – students being targeted in phishing email

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Friday, Jan. 23, 2026

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Although NNDSB utilizes many proactive measures to protect students, including advanced firewalls, spam, and URL filtering technologies to mitigate risks to both staff and students, we want to alert you to a phishing email that has recently circulated among students, titled“ Job Announcement.”The email promotes a part-time job opportunity and includes a link to apply, claiming it is affiliated with the . Please note that this message isnot legitimateand may pose a security risk.

Key details of the phishing email:

  • Promises flexible, paid part-time work from home.
  • Requests recipients to click an external link and engage with an unknown individual.
  • Uses language intended to appear official but is fraudulent.

This is a clear example of a phishing attempt and should be treated as such. We ask that you:

  • Inform your child immediatelynot to click any links or respond to this email.
  • Encourage students to delete the message if received.
  • Use this as alearning opportunityto reinforce safe email practices, such as:
    • Never clicking on unsolicited links.
    • Verifying the sender’s identity before responding.
    • Reporting suspicious emails to the Help Desk.

Families are encouraged to use age-appropriate cyber safety resources to support their child’s understanding of online safety. NNDSB recommends the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, specifically their site: . Educators across our district have and will continue to embed cyber safety training into their lessons through age-appropriate resources related to the Ontario curriculum.

If you have any questions or notice further distribution of this phishing email, please contact your child’s principal. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community safe.

Sincerely,

Chippewa students pitch their North Bay tourism ideas

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Chippewa students pitch their North Bay tourism ideas

Grade 11 travel and tourism students at Chippewa Secondary School pitched their best North Bay tourism ideas to a panel of northern tourism professionals in a Dragon’s Den-inspired activity called Moose Moguls.

The expert panel provided un-biased constructive feedback which students could then use to improve and refine their business plans.

In this course, students learn about destinations, transportation, marketing and customer service. The goal is to prepare students for careers in tourism and hospitality, and to develop awareness of global and local tourism issues.

Teacher Jonathon Corbett says developing tourism business ideas helps students consider alternative paths to traditional education and possibly become entrepreneurs.

“Many students leave North Bay to pursue their careers. This project has students creating their own opportunities, while learning to appreciate the beauty of their own backyard,” Corbett says, “The presentation aspect prepares students for essential tourism skills, such as, pitching destinations, creating itineraries, promoting experiences, calculating costs and guiding.”

The focus on local tourism helped to keep student projects as realistic as possible. Students began researching currently available tourism options and identified gaps they could fill. Most were able to find unique opportunities in their own backyard, of which they were previously unaware.

Local tourism boosts our economy, creates jobs, and provides sustainable and accessible opportunities in Northern Ontario. It also helps students appreciate their own region’s culture and attractions, which is key for building community pride and promoting nearby destinations. There were a couple of exchange students who created business plans in their home countries, which helped broaden the class’s overall perspective.

Student business ideas included guided eco-tours of the natural beauty of the North Bay area, a rage room where customers could pay to destroy appliances, dishes and furniture as a fun and safe expression of their frustrations and a pet café where customers can enjoy coffee and snacks while their pet plays in a friendly environment.

Darren Patey, partnership and product development lead with Northeastern Ontario Tourism, said the presentations were well thought out and the students delivered a variety of ideas. It was great to see the students work on their presentation skills, as speaking to a group is something not many are comfortable with.

“There were a few students offering guiding and or workshop-type products that stood out to me. We are seeing an increase in the demand from visitors for experiential products, where they could learn about the history, learn a skill, or achieve a connection to a community,” Patey said. “Whether that product is about bushcraft style camping, doing a polar plunge, or making jewelry or food, it was great to see students seeking opportunities to include local ingredients and partnerships.”

Travel and tourism student Tam said, “I really enjoyed this project because it showed me so many ways to start up my business idea and how to get a good picture of what I would expect if I started my business idea. The money would honestly be a challenge, but I would research a lot more into getting started. My business plan would be really cool and eco-friendly and safe and kind of cheap. After this project, I’m going to look into it and see how I can start and bring my idea to life.”

Biindigen

Mii gwi Anishinabek wewena nkenmaaminak dependajig maa kiing.
"We acknowledge in a good way, the original people of the land here"
We value the cultures, histories and relationships with the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island (North America)

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