An abridged version of this statement was delivered by Chair Muego at the June 16 Public Board Meeting.
Last September—though it feels like just yesterday—we welcomed students back from the summer break and invited them to reflect on how they could help build an innovative and inclusive community where all learners belong and everyone soars. We encouraged students to consider how both small actions and big choices could reflect our shared values of compassion, responsibility, integrity, creativity, diversity, and resilience, and how they could help make their school a place of connection and belonging for all.
I am proud to say that students and staff rose to that challenge. And as Board Chair, I feel an immense sense of pride and gratitude for everything that has been achieved over the past ten months.
As you saw earlier, Delta students have achieved great success over the past year. In addition to the wonderful achievements we celebrated earlier this evening, elementary students across the district brought curiosity and creativity to life at the Minds of Discovery Science Fair at the Scottsdale Centre in the Spring. And showing great sporting prowess, the South Delta Sun Devils won the 4A Senior Girls’ Provincial Volleyball Championship, their first provincial win in 11 years!
Beyond academic and sporting success, we also saw meaningful acts of learning, reflection, and community connection.
On September 29, students participated in the district’s second annual Walk for Truth and Reconciliation. Students from North Delta schools came together to honour residential school survivors, their families, and the children who never returned home. This powerful event concluded with a district-wide live-streamed ceremony from North Delta Secondary. We look forward to continuing this important tradition on Tuesday, September 29 in Tsawwassen, with South Delta Secondary hosting this year’s ceremony. The walk is an important way we can honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day and increase our understanding of the history of Indigenous Peoples.
Compassion and generosity were equally evident in the many fundraising initiatives across our schools. From Delview Secondary’s remarkable 33rd annual Thanks 4 Giving Community Food Drive—with a staggering 18,777 items collected, bringing their all-time total to over 485,000 donations—to North Delta Secondary’s 7th Annual Brandon All-Star Mentors Food Drive which collected more than 2,200 items for DeltaAssist. Delta Secondary continued its holiday tradition, 20 Days of Giving, and collected more than $24,000 worth of donations enabling the creation of multiple holiday hampers filled with food, clothing, toiletries and gift cards to be given to local families. And not to be outdone, Gray Elementary students crushed their canned food drive, with more than 4,300 items collected compared to their goal of 1,200!
Well done to all the students and staff involved. These initiatives are a powerful testament to staff and students’ compassion, teamwork, and commitment to their local community.
I would also like to take a moment to recognize Burnsview Secondary Child and Youth Care Worker Curtis Miller, whose incredible wood carving raised $5,000 for the Delta Firefighters’ Healthy Snacks Program—helping ensure that no student goes through their school day hungry. This is the second year Curtis has donated his beautiful artwork to this important cause.
This year also marked important progress in advancing equity and accessibility across the district. The publication of our first Justice and Equity Action Plan Annual Progress Report reflects our commitment to creating safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments for all students. If you haven’t had a chance to look at it, I encourage you to do so. You can find it on the district’s website.
The Justice and Equity Action Plan is the district’s commitment to creating school environments that are safe, welcoming, and supportive for every student. The Plan focuses on eliminating unfair treatment such as racism, sexism, ableism, misogyny, and other forms of discrimination and oppression. The first annual progress report offers a transparent look at the district’s journey so far. While progress has been made, we recognize there is still more work ahead. The Justice and Equity Action Plan is designed to foster open dialogue within our school community, inviting honest questions, constructive feedback, and new ideas that can change the way the district moves forward.
Similarly, the Accessibility Progress Report highlighted tangible improvements across our schools including elevator and ramp installations at several schools, strobe light alarms to enhance safety for those with impaired hearing, addition of accessible elements to several playgrounds, additional accessible parking spaces at schools and improved accessibility to washrooms with lifts and push button access.
To help encourage inclusive and accessible communications, communication boards were included in school planners for the first time and installed in playgrounds, including at Neilson Grove Elementary. Field trip forms were updated to help plan for and facilitate smooth field trips for all students, staff were trained on how to create digitally accessibility presentations and there was an equity and accessibility review of recruitment practices.
These initiatives were aimed at upholding inclusive attitudes and advancing equitable policies for all students and staff. These efforts are helping to remove barriers and create a more equitable learning environment for everyone. There is still much more work to do, but we are moving in the right direction. We welcome feedback from the community in this area, and to encourage this, the district introduced a new accessibility barrier identification tool on its website which enables people to easily provide feedback and identify potential barriers.
Students were engaged in a wide range of meaningful and memorable experiences this year. Pinewood Elementary was chosen as the site to unveil this year’s Veterans Commemorative Poster. Students heard stories of various military people before heading outdoors to take part in a Scavenger Hunt that was designed to reinforce the lessons of service and teamwork.
Cliff Drive students once again honoured military veterans at Boundary Bay by participating in a heartfelt No Stone Left Alone Ceremony. This initiative enables students to honour veterans interred at Boundary Bay cemetery and gives them a better understanding of the sacrifices made by veterans that give us the peace and many freedoms we enjoy today.
We are especially proud of students who participated in the Royal Canadian Legion Youth Remembrance Contest. More than 133 entries were submitted this year by Delta students – a significant increase from last year’s 88 entries, and every participating school saw at least one student receive an award. 6 Delta students were named zone winners – Delta is in the Peace Arch Zone which also encompasses Richmond, Crescent Beach, White Rock and Cloverdale! Delta Secondary student Matthew Friesen was awarded first place in BC for his Senior level essay!
Heath Elementary students enjoyed the unveiling of a beautiful new nature-inspired mural on the exterior of their school. The mural reflects ideas and feedback from staff and the wider school community and is inspired by the cedar forests close to the school.
In January, bus safety came to life at Richardson Elementary – students from Richardson, Hellings, Jarvis, Devon Gardens, McCloskey and Heath Elementary schools rode a school bus and listened to safety talks about proper bus behaviour.
Students at both Ladner Elementary and Delta Secondary took part in cancer awareness initiatives. At Ladner Elementary, several brave students and staff donated hair or had buzz cuts in a powerful show of compassion and support and participated in a Cancer Awareness Assembly. And at Delta Secondary, students raised more than $22,000 in their first ever Relay for Life event.
Other community events over the year included the Heath Elementary Family Literacy event, aimed at bringing families together to celebrate reading while connecting them with the school and valuable local community resources. Delview students organized the 4th Annual Delview Park Clean Up involving students and local community members cleaning up the park on Earth Day in April. And Delta Secondary started a new tradition with Home for the Holidays, an open house event to celebrate the strong bond between the school and community. Guests had an opportunity to enjoy showcases from the talented students and staff in band, art, athletics, culinary arts and industrial education.
More recently, many former students and staff celebrated the 55th anniversary of Hellings Elementary! The celebrations were originally meant to take place in 2021 to honour the 50th anniversary of the school, but as with many best laid plans, the pandemic got in the way! It was heartening to see so many former staff and students in attendance.
I think it is safe to say that all these experiences have enriched student learning well beyond the classroom, and enhanced connections within our community.
Preparing students for the future remains at the very heart of our work. Here in Delta, we are proud to offer students the opportunity to get a taste of different careers, through a variety of initiatives such as the Junior Firefighters program, aquatic leadership program, business program, Train in Trades and Learn in Trades, and the Biomed and Health Science program. During the year, many schools also held career and hiring fairs. These events help open students’ eyes to the possibility of careers they may not have considered before and help them discover their potential.
Delta’s International Student Program continues to receive national accolades and was again nominated for a StudyTravel ST Secondary School Award for excellence. International students enrich our classrooms and communities with diverse perspectives and experiences. We are proud to be a district that values and encourages global citizenship. We are always on the lookout for homestay families to house the international students wishing to study in Delta, so if you’re interested in bringing an international student into your home, please get in touch!
Looking ahead, we are excited to be opening several new facilities, including the North Delta Secondary fieldhouse, an upgraded track at Seaquam Secondary and a new infield at the South Delta Secondary track. These important investments in infrastructure by the province and City of Delta will support student well-being, engagement, and community connection for years to come.
As always, we have also faced challenges. Balancing the district budget required difficult decisions, and we are ever mindful of the financial pressures facing public education. That said, we are proud of our continued efforts to keep our focus firmly centred on supporting students and schools.
As we close this school year, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who makes the Delta School District such a strong and vibrant community—our students, families, teachers, administrators, support staff, Rightsholders, education and community partners, and my fellow trustees.
Thank you for your continued support, collaboration, and dedication to public education.
We know there is always more work to do—but tonight, let’s take a moment to appreciate and celebrate what we have accomplished together.
Thank you.
Chair Joe Muego
Delta Board of Education